


Two Weapons

by ImaginaryBread



Series: Two Weapons [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, But also angst later, But she keeps them locked up for reasons, Dragon!Byleth, Edelgard gets a hug, Edelgard is only barely even mentioned in chapter 1, Edelgard needs a hug, F/F, Female My Unit | Byleth, Good Parent Jeralt Reus Eisner, M/M, Manipulative Rhea, My Unit | Byleth Has Emotions, Non-Binary Bernadetta von Varley, Nonbinary Character, Other pairings and characters will be added to tags as they appear, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, There will be intrigue and fluff, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans!Dorothea, trans!byleth, trans!caspar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 49
Words: 156,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaginaryBread/pseuds/ImaginaryBread
Summary: Two weapons, crafted by those who wish for their wills to be made reality. Are the destined to be used for those purposes, or does fate have other plans for them.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Two Weapons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726078
Comments: 458
Kudos: 523





	1. A New Direction to an Old Stompping Ground

\--20th of the Great Tree Moon 1180, Byleth--

As her father walked back towards her after talking with one of the knights, who apparently knew her father, Byleth could tell by the sour look on his face that he didn’t have good news. She had hoped for good luck, but with what he had told her about the church and its leader, she hadn’t expected things to go their way after the Knights of Serios arrived. 

“Well,” her father said as he stopped in front of her, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Alois is very thankful for your help with the bandits and saving the students and he would like to express his gratitude. The bad news is that to do so, they are going to take us to Garreg Mach Monastery.”

Byleth felt a chill run down her spine. “The same Garreg Mach that you told me stories about?” she said cautiously.

“The very same,” Jeralt said quietly enough so that no one else could hear. “If anyone asks, you’re 18, and your birthday is the 3rd of the Red Wolf Moon. That should at least keep some of Rhea’s attention off you while we are there. Hopefully we won’t stay long enough for anyone to put things together.”

Byleth nodded and her father left her to get ready to head out. As she was gathering her things, a familiar sarcastic voice came from her side. “So, not only did you throw yourself in front of an axe, but now we are headed to the one place we have been trying to stay away from for literally your entire life.”

“So glad to have your support, Sothis.” Byleth calmly replied. “Maybe we can use this opportunity to actually get some information on what we are.” She thought back to the first time she met Sothis, when she learned just how different she is from everyone else.

\-- 16 th of the Garland Moon 1165, Jeralt--

“Well Byleth, I think it is finally time that I taught you how to fight.” Jeralt said as he led Byleth past the edge of the camp. “While I hope that you never have to fight, I know better than to rely only on that hope to keep you safe.”

He came to a stop when he reached a clearing that was far enough to not draw unnecessary attention from the camp, but close enough that those who knew where he went could reach him quickly. He pulled two training swords from his side and handed one to Byleth, causing her to start falling forward under the unexpected weight before catching herself. She quickly shuffled the blade in her hands to mimic her father’s pose. He started explaining how to safely handle a blade before moving on to making sure Byleth was familiar with basic swings and blocks.

This went on for a couple of hours, with Jeralt making sure they took breaks whenever he saw his daughter getting tired. It was during one of these breaks, where he was sitting under a tree with Byleth, when he heard something coming out of the forest. As he turned and stood, he saw a pair of bears walk into the clearing, and when they saw the father and daughter, their fur stood on end and a burly growl emanated from one of them. Jeralt put himself between the animals and Byleth. “Byleth, run back to camp, get some of the men, and lead them back here. I’ll keep the animals from chasing after you.”

Hearing no response, he quickly turned to check on his daughter. Looking at her face, he had a mixed reaction he saw fear on her face. He turned back to the bears, and he knew that he had to keep them from Byleth until she was able to gather herself and run for the camp. The bears started slowly walking towards them, and in response he stepped forward in order to keep them away from Byleth. 

“As soon as you can, run to the camp, got it Byleth?” he said right before the first bear attacked. He was able to block the first swipe, and even knowing that his training blade would be nearly useless against the creatures, he still swung at the animal's head, landing a solid blow that made it recoil in shock. As the first bear staggered back, the second one came in to bite, and Jeralt dodge to the side, still making sure that he was between where Byleth last was and the bears. 

Another bite came at him and he dodged again, but also drove the training blade into the beast's maw, and it let out a muffled roar of pain. As he stepped back, he felt the blunt force of the other bear striking his side with it's paw. He was sent sprawling to the ground, his sword lost from his grip and the air knocked from his lungs. Jeralt started to climb back to his feet as the bears loomed towards him, he looked over towards Byleth and saw a blinding green light.

\--16 th of the Garland Moon 1165, Byleth--

Cold. She felt cold. Like she was frozen in place. She had never felt like this before. As her father spoke to her, she wanted to move, but her legs didn't listen to her desires. Her father stepped forward towards the bears, and for a second, it almost looked like he would be fine. Then the bear that had previously retreated swung at him while he was dealing with the other one. She heard the deep sound of the blow, and the thud of her father falling to the ground. As this happened, the freezing cold flowing through her veins was quickly replaced by a warmth that quickly became a raging fire inside her. Before the fire could drive her into action, the bear that had knocked her father to the ground leapt on him, intending to kill. Not able to look at the sight, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and the heat consumed her.

“So, this is what it takes for you to rouse me from my nap.” a new voice said, curiously. As the voice finished, Byleth opened her eyes, and saw that she was no longer in the clearing. She was surrounded by blackness, and the only thing in sight was a large stone throne with a green haired girl lounging on it. She stared at the girl, unable to quite grasp what had just happened.

“Wh-who are you?” Byleth asked, as the heat inside her decreased to a simmer. “Where am I? Where’s my father?! I need to help him!” Now that she had a moment to process, she was starting to panic and fell backwards, holding herself upright with her arms behind her. As she tried to figure out how she got here and where here is, the girl from the throne hopped off it and walked down the steps towards Byleth.

As the girl knelt down, she spoke to Byleth “My name is Sothis. I have pulled you out of time. Your father is still where you last saw him.” She looked Byleth over, taking in the slightly less panicked girl in front of her. “If you were able to wake me, then there must be something different about you. Stand up straight, let me get a good look at you.” She helped Byleth up and walked around her once, taking all of her in. “Well, you don’t look special. Although you do feel familiar.” Sothis trailed off, bringing her hand to her mouth. “Hmmm. Well, can you think of anything that makes you special?”

Even with everything that had happened, she felt like she could trust Sothis. Byleth didn’t understand much of what the green haired girl said, but she agreed that she felt familiar to her. “My father told me not to tell anyone, but when I put my hand on his chest I can feel his heart, but I can’t feel mine.” Byleth said quietly.

Sothis perked up at hearing this. “Let me see.” Sothis replied while reaching out towards Byleth. As her hand came to rest over where the other girl’s heart should be, she indeed didn’t feel its thump. What she felt instead made her pull her hand back. “You’re like me” she muttered. “You don’t have a heartbeat, but I can feel my power coursing through you.” An idea came to her mind, and a small smile grew on her lips. “We may be able to help your father, Byleth. I pulled you here out of time, but I should also be able to turn it back a little. Enough for you to have a chance to save your father.” 

Sothis knelt down in front of Byleth once more. “At that point, it would be up to you to save him. This may seem like an impossible task, but you have a power inside you that should be more than enough. When you go back, you need to focus on becoming something powerful in order to save your father. Let your desire to save him guide you.” Sothis stood back up, “Well, now that that’s settled, time to rewind time. I look forward to getting to know you, Byleth.” 

“But, how do I…” Byleth started to say before she felt a pull in her chest and she found herself back in the clearing as her father jammed his sword into the bear’s mouth. She saw the other bear knock him down, and that heat flared within her once more. She thought about what Sothis had said, and she began to think of having the power to save her father. The heat continued to grow, and it felt like her body was burning, but she kept her goal in mind. Suddenly, that heat was rushing out of her, and she saw a green glow.

\--16th of the Garland Moon 1165, Jeralt Eisner--

As the light dimmed, and his eyes adjusted, Jeralt noticed two things. First, he wasn’t dead, which was surprising, because he thought the bear was going to kill him a second ago. Second, instead of Byleth standing where the green glow came from, there was now a creature with gray scales and blue eyes. Before he could really process the sudden disappearance and appearance, the creature launched itself at the bears, tackling the one looming over him and driving it back. The bear in question tried to claw and bite at it’s attacker, but it was in vain as its claws and teeth couldn’t get through the creature's scales. In retaliation, the creature bit into the bear’s neck, crushing it with ease and killing the bear.

The second bear barely had time to close on the creature before it turned and slammed its claws into the bear’s head, slamming it into the ground. The bear laid there, unmoving, for several seconds before the creature turned its attention to Jeralt. He was unable to do little more than rise to support himself on one arm before the creature was close enough to touch. It drew even closer, and Jeralt expected to meet the same fate as the bears, and closed his eyes. He was shocked when the creature pushed up against him before he saw another green glow through his eyelids. 

When he opened them the creature was gone, and Byleth had wrapped herself around him. He was shocked as Byleth began to cry against him. He had never seen her like this before. He did the first thing that came to mind, and wrapped his arm around his daughter. They stayed like this until Byleth had calmed down, and he had her go and get some help in the form of the mercenaries. 

\--20th of the Great Tree Moon 1180, Byleth--

“How exactly do you plan to get information? Do you think that you can just walk up to someone and say ‘Hello, do you have any secret information on my brother who died here 21 years ago?’” Sothis said sarcastically as she lounged on nothing, floating in the air beside Byleth. “That would be sure to draw no attention. The only thing that you have going for you is that you aren’t a boy”

“That is something that they aren’t likely to anticipate.” Byleth said with a small smirk. “And I don’t plan to just ask. But an academy is bound to have a library. And libraries have information, last time I checked.” Sothis pouted at getting a taste of her own medicine, as she always did. “We have the element of surprise in this situation, as they think I’m dead”

“You could do with giving a little more respect to the person whose power you used to save your life along with the girl’s.” Sothis said, a twinge of a smirk making its way through her pout. “But in regards to other matters, why were you so willing to throw yourself in front of a lethal blow for that girl?” Sothis continued as her smirk grew to replace her pout. “I’ve known you for a long time, and I’ve never seen you do something like that for someone you don’t know before.”

Byleth’s hands stopped what they were doing as she turned to face Sothis. “ I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just happened to make a mistake while blocking. If you are implying something, I can only assume it isn’t true.” she said with a stoic face, turning away from Sothis and going back to packing up her remaining things.

“You forget that I’m the one who helped you learn how to control your emotions,” Sothis said with so much smirk in her voice Byleth didn’t have to look at her to know that it reached from cheek to cheek, “and so I know all of your tells. It’s one of the perks of literally being in your head. But if you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll leave it be for now. I need to take a nap anyways.” When Byleth looked to where Sothis had been, the space now empty, she let out a sigh and continued packing.


	2. Too Much of a Good Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth arrives at Garreg Mach, but will she find the answers she is looking for? You know what they say. The best laid plans of mice and men...

\--20th of of the Great Tree Moon 1180, Byleth--

Things were relatively uneventful through the majority of the trip to Garreg Mach. After they left Remire, the three students, Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard, all struck up conversation with Byleth. It seemed like most of it was political jockeying, as they each tried to recruit her to their kingdom in some way, but she turned them down by saying that she wanted to stay with her father and his mercenary company. After the other two left to talk to some of the knights, Edelgard stayed behind to continue talking.

“I know I said it before, but thank you for saving my life yesterday.” Edelgard said calmly. “I didn’t expect him to get back up, and that is not a mistake I will make again. But I am only able to say that because of you,” she finished with a look of determination in her eyes.

“You shouldn’t worry about mistakes you made in the past. You can’t change what happened.” Byleth said after thinking about what she should say. “All that you can do is learn from those mistakes, and you seem intent to do that.” She thought more about what to say, trying to decide if she should share something similar from her past.

“The first time I was in a real fight, I froze. And it almost cost my father his life.” Edelgard noticed that Byleth’s eyes seemed to be more distant than before as she continued. “And because of that, I did everything I could think of to make sure that I didn’t freeze up again. I don’t want anyone to die because I didn’t do all I could,” Byleth finished resolutely. It was the most expression Edelgard had seen from the blue-haired woman.

For most of the remaining trip, the two made small talk, neither of them wanting to broach more sensitive subjects. Eventually Edelgard took her leave and went to talk with Alois, leaving Byleth alone for the last leg. Sothis took this opportunity to ‘talk’ to Byleth. “So, did you manage to get a date?” the green haired girl said while floating alongside her. “You were very willing to share some of your experiences with her. Now you can’t deny that she isn’t just some girl. You don’t talk about yourself with anyone but me and your father.” Sothis continued, a smirk appearing on her face.

Byleth sent her a sideways glare, and under her breath she whispered “It just looked like she could use something to show her that she can get over this.” Byleth paused for a second, thinking through her words before continuing “I simply had the opportunity to give her that.” The smallest of smirks appeared on Byleth’s face as she said “Talking to her may have been a nice experience though. She’s much politer than you.” A pout quickly replaced Sothis’s smirk, “Hmph. I can tell when I’m not wanted,” she said in an over exaggerated manner, before fading from Byleth’s vision. 

\--21st of the Great Tree Moon 1180, Byleth--

Up until Garreg Mach came into view she spent alone in comfortable silence. Once she could see it however, she couldn’t help but be impressed. The monastery stood over the green hills as the remaining light made it look like the stone walls themselves were glowing.

Byleth started making her way to her father, who was at the front of the column with the knight he had talked to before informing her of what was happening. When they got closer to the monastery, Byleth noticed people on the wall over the gate, including a woman with green hair and gilded robes standing looking out at the incoming group.

“The woman watching from the wall is Lady Rhea.” Alois said to the Byleth when he noticed where she was looking. “While she usually does not come out to watch when knights return, the message we sent ahead must have piqued her interest.” 

Once inside the monastery, a knight came towards Alois and delivered a message to him. “Well,” he said turning towards Jeralt and Byleth, “it would seem that Lady Rhea has requested your presence. This man here will take you to her,” pointing at the knight who delivered the message.

They followed the knight through the halls of the monastery until they were at an ornate pair of doors, at which point the knight rapt her knuckles against the door. They heard a response from inside, slightly muffled by the thick wood. “Let them in.” The knight opened the door, and on the other side there stood the woman from the top of the wall, Lady Rhea. Once the two mercenaries were inside, the knight closed the door, leaving the three of them alone with each other. 

“Jeralt.” Rhea started, “It has been a long time. More than 20 years if I recall.”

“It’s been at least that long,” he replied, “since just after the fire that took my first child. It was just too much to stay here with the memories.” A somber smile appeared on Rhea’s face.

“I can understand your need to leave. I just wish you had stayed in touch.” She reached out to point at Byleth, “But at least you were able to find someone to fill the hole in your heart, if your daughter is anything to go by. I hope we are not keeping you from her with this request.” Rhea said with a look of concern on her face.

“I was able to find someone, but unfortunately she left us almost a decade ago. It led to me taking my daughter with me on my travels, but I tried to do right by her.” Jeralt replied, bittersweet emotions playing on his face. “I miss her dearly, just as I miss my first wife.”

“You have my condolences for your loss once more.” As she said this, Rhea’s face shifted to have an almost predatory smile. “But, if it would not keep you from somewhere you need to be, I would be honored if you were to join the Knights of Serios once more.”

Byleth could sense Jeralt tense at this, and realized that her father had just walked right into Rhea’s trap. He had no good reason to decline the offer, and it was now that Byleth saw just how careful they would have to be here. “Of course,” Rhea continued, “This isn’t the only offer. Based on the letter sent ahead of you, your daughter seems to be quite capable in combat, and due to the previous professor’s absence, we do have a vacant instructor position to be filled. It would be a shame to not use her abilities to train the next generation of leaders.” she said coyly as she turned her head to look at Byleth.

“What?” Byleth quickly responded, “I have never taught anyone before. I don’t know the first thing about it. Besides, I’m the same age as the students. How much could I teach them that they don’t already know.” Byleth looked for help from her father, but he looked just as surprised as she felt. What shocked her much more however was when he nodded to her, as if to say that she had to go along with it.

“That may be, but you do have leadership experience. All three of the students said that they believe things could have gone much worse without you there to guide them.” Rhea calmly replied. “If those are your only concerns, I am sure that Seteth can help you get settled into your new role while I discuss his return to service.”

As she finished speaking, the door behind them opened, and in walked a green haired man with a serious expression walked in. “Ah, perfect timing Seteth. Could you please show our new professor around and get them settled.” Rhea said, motioning for Byleth to follow this newcomer. As she turned to face him, she could tell that he was just as surprised as she was, and probably more than a little angry. He quickly shook himself and set a stoic look on his face as he spoke.

“Of course. Right this way” Seteth quietly said, guiding Byleth out of the office and closing the door behind them.

While leading her away from Rhea’s office, Seteth began to speak. “While you may have impressed Lady Rhea enough to convince her of your skills, I would suggest you do not give her reason to regret putting her belief in you,” he said coldly. “In addition, just because Lady Rhea believes in your abilities, that does not mean that you have my confidence. But the current situation means that we must work together,” he stopped walking and faced Byleth “but do not take that to mean that I will let you get away with doing anything but your best.”

Once Byleth nodded to show that she understood what the green-haired man had said, he continued walking in the direction from before, leading her on a short tour of the monastery, showing her how to get to places like the library, the baths, the dining hall, and the training grounds. Once he had shown her the public areas, he led her to the dormitories. He came to a stop in front of one of the rooms and used a key to open the door, handing her the key after it was open.

“This will be your room while you are here. I assume you paid enough attention to know how to get back to where you entered the monastery,” Seteth said matter of factly. “You will find your things waiting for you there with the rest of the mercenaries you came with. I will meet you back here in an hour to finalize your hiring as an instructor and introduce you to your class.” Without waiting for her to confirm anything, Seteth walked away in the direction they came from, quickly turning a corner and vanishing from sight.

“I don’t think he likes you,” Sothis said in a stage whisper, suddenly appearing to Byleth’s side. “On the plus side, now you will have plenty of time to stay here and ‘research’ what you are,” making quotation gestures with her fingers as she said research, a sarcastic tone in her voice. “I do have to say though, he and that Rhea lady feel familiar. Not as familiar as you did, but there is definitely something they are hiding about themselves.”

Byleth made a hum of agreement, heading towards the entrance to gather her things. Once she had found the mercenaries and collected her belongings, she began to unpack into the room she had been assigned. “Sothis,” she said, stopping her unpacking, her hands shaking when she stopped using them, “what have we gotten into. I don’t know how to teach! I thought this would be a quick stop before moving on!”

“But you do know how to lead, and teaching is just leading with extra bits,” Sothis calmly replied. She could tell how close to being overwhelmed Byleth was and knew that now was not the time for sass. “And you can ask your father for help. He taught you, so he has to be at least decent at it if how you turned out is anything to go on.” She put a hand on the mercenary turned teacher, trying to comfort her. “You aren’t alone in this. You have people you can rely on.”

Byleth gave Sothis a small smile as she calmed down. “Thanks. I’m still worried though. If you were able to feel how Rhea and Seteth are similar to me, then they might be able to figure me out.” Byleth looked back down at her half empty bag. It was around this time that there was a knock on the door. When Byleth opened it, Seteth was waiting on the other side.

“I hope you were able to get settled in,” he said. “If you’ll follow me, we can get the last few things done before your time as the new instructor of the Black Eagles will begin.” Seteth led her to an office, where he asked her questions pertaining to who she is, where she was born, and other things to confirm that she is who she says she is. Once that was done, he stood up and led her to a hall of the monastery with rooms spaced farther apart than the dormitories. He stopped in front of one, and began speaking. 

“This will be your classroom. You are free to take your classes elsewhere within the monastery, but you must get approval from the archbishop or myself before taking them outside the monastery for any educational events.” Seteth said with an almost annoyed expression on his face. “Inside is your class, I suggest that you get to know them. The leader of the house can tell you more about them if you wish.” With that he once again turned around and took his leave.

Sothis appeared floating beside Byleth once more, saying “Well, let’s go meet the ones you’ll be teaching. I’m looking forward to seeing who you got put with.” She floats forward, putting her head through the door for a few seconds, and when she came back, she had a somber look. “I’m sorry to tell you, they’re all ugly.” Byleth let out an amused chuff at that. “We both know that isn’t how you work.” Byleth reach for the door handle, continuing with “Let’s go meet the students, shall we?”

As she opened the door and walked into the classroom, she saw 7 people, 6 of which turned to face the newcomer. The other one, Byleth noted, appeared to be sleeping. As she looked at the students, her eyes stopped on Edelgard, a ball forming in her stomach as she realized what seeing the lavender eyed girl here meant.

Edelgard recognized her immediately and began to welcome her. “Byleth, what a surprise. We were told to expect a new teacher, but I didn’t know that you would be joining the class as well.” She contemplated for a moment before continuing. “Although, you joining us probably happened so quickly that there just wasn’t time to inform us,” she said with a polite smile gracing her lips.

“Oh, you have it so bad,” Sothis said with a giggle. “You’re lucky she started talking, because you would have definitely stuttered.”

Byleth wanted to glare at Sothis, but she knew from experience how people tended to react to someone glaring at empty space. Instead she opted to address what Edelgard had said. “Well, actually I’m not a student.” With this Edelgard’s face had a slight look of confusion on it. “I’m your new professor.”

Everyone silently stared at Byleth, even the one who had presumably been sleeping until now. A purple mop of hair also popped up behind one of the desks in the back, and a pair of eyes looked over it. The silence was broken when the boy with bright blue hair loudly exclaimed “WHAT?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there everyone! I hope if you have got this far you are enjoying this work. Please let me know what you think about it.
> 
> To give everyone an idea of the update schedule, I am going to aim for once a week, but that is more of a guideline than an actual code.


	3. Settling In and Setting Up Plans

\--21st of of the Great Tree Moon 1180, Byleth--

After the blue haired boy exclaimed his surprise, several of the other students began expressing their shock as well. Their voices all combined into one cacophonous wave as they all expressed their disbelief at the fact that someone their age was to be their instructor. Byleth wasn’t exactly surprised by this reaction, and so she spoke up when it seemed like the ruckus wasn’t going to end soon.

Putting on her mercenary commander voice, Byleth addressed the class. “Quiet, everyone. I’m sure that you all have questions, and I will do my best to answer them, but I can’t do that until you all quiet down and let me speak.” Between her stern tone and stoic expression, the students who had been causing the ruckus all quickly quieted. “Thank you. Now, if you have any questions, raise your hand. And the first time I pick you, say your name.”

Six hands shot up, with the only two who didn’t put their hand up being the one who was laying his head on the desk and the one hiding behind the desk in the back. Looking among the ones who had their hands up, she decided to start with the one who spoke up first. “The one with the blue hair,” Byleth said.

“Uh, I guess how old are you? I didn’t think I’d be picked first.” The boy answered. “OH, and my name is Caspar von Bergliez.”

“A fair, if obvious, question,” Byleth replied immediately, having already expected a question like this. “I am 18 years old. Which probably means some of you are older than me.” She did another scan of the people with their hands up. “You with the black hair.”

“I would like to know what makes you qualified to teach us.” the man asked with a look akin to disappointment on his face, and even after a few seconds he seemed to have no intention to give his name. At least not until Edelgard shot him a sideways glare, after which he spoke again. “My apologies. I am Hubert von Vestra”

“Thank you Hubert. To answer your question, I have been with a mercenary company for my entire life, and I have been taking on missions of my own since I was 12. This includes leading detachments of the company during larger missions. And I believe Edelgard can attest to my skill in combat.” Byleth stated stoically, seeing all but one of the hands fall to their owner’s sides. “Speaking of, Edelgard, what is your question?”

Edelgard perked up at Byleth aiming her focus at her. “What is the first lesson you have planned for us, Professor?” Byleth’s heart rate picked up at that question as she suddenly realized she hadn’t thought of what to have the students do. “Yes, what do you have planned, Professor?”, repeated Sothis as she floated lazily behind the platinum-haired student who originally asked the question, staring directly at the blue haired professor.

At that moment, Byleth wanted nothing more than to tell Sothis off with a strong glare and stronger words. However, she knew that the intangible antagonist was aware that she couldn’t without directing that same glare at the student awaiting her reply. More importantly, she knew that she had to give the students an answer before they started doubting her. ‘If only dad was here. He would know… Of course!’ Byleth thought as an idea entered her head.

“Since we are unfamiliar with one another, I thought it would be prudent to see how proficient each of you are in combat.” Byleth finally answered. “I learned of the training grounds, and I doubt we would have any issue using it as no other classes seem to have it booked today. Before we go out though, I would like those of you who didn’t already introduce yourself to do so. We’ll start from this side of the group” she said as she pointed to her right, where an orange haired boy was looking at her intently.

The orange haired boy immediately began his introduction. “I am Ferdinand von Aegir,” he said, projecting his voice so it was almost uncomfortably loud, “son of Duke Aegir of Adrestia.” He was about to continue along with his introduction when Byleth spoke up.

'Thank you, Ferdinand. Next, the student in the back.” she said curtly, pointing towards the table that she had seen the purple hair pop up from before, only to hear a quiet sound of surprise as the hair shot down beneath the table. After a few seconds, the hair, and the girl it was attached to, stood up meekly, scrunching in on herself.

“I'm Bernadetta von Varley.” she said so quietly the mercenary-turned-professor could almost not hear her. She felt bad for the girl, as she was so obviously uncomfortable that even Sothis made a note of it.

“Poor girl, she's shaking like a leaf. You aren't really going to make her fight, are you?” the spirit said as Byleth thanked Bernadetta for her introduction and told her she could sit back down. “Next in order, if you would be so kind.” Byleth said, trying to keep the introductions moving.

A brunette piped up next. “My name is Dorothea Arnault. No noble house to claim.” she said with a sing-songy tone. “And don't mind Bernie. She's a little shy but she just takes time to warm up to people.” she said with a small smile laced with concern.

“Thank you for the introduction, and I will do my best to remember that.” Byleth said, directing a quick glance in Bernadetta's direction, before moving onto the next student. “Next, if you would be so kind?.” she asked while turning her eyes towards the student with purple hair and darker skin.

“I am Petra Macneary, and I am of Brigid.' As she said this, Byleth tried to recall where Brigid was, but her memory failed to provide her with an answer. “I hope you will be teaching us very much.” the girl finished.

Byleth nodded her thanks to Petra, and looked at the last student, who seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open and head off the desk. “And finally, what is your name?” she said.

“I am Lindhardt von Hevring.” the green haired boy said before he laid his head on his arms. Byleth felt almost bad for the tired boy as she began speaking again. “Well, with introductions finished, If you could all follow me to the training grounds, we can see how you do in a mock fight.” she said, almost immediately heading towards and out the door.

As the sound of quick shuffling came from the open door to the classroom, Sothis appeared next to her, walking along the ground. “Well,” the shorter woman said with a tiny bit of hesitation. “They are certainly an ... eclectic bunch. We certainly have our work cut out for us.”

At these words, Byleth turned her head and looked directly at Sothis with a questioning expression on her face. “What, you didn't expect me to just sit around and do nothing while you whipped them into shape, did you?” she jokingly accused. “We've been together this long, I'm not going to just let you flounder hopelessly. We're a team.” As she finished, Byleth noted the caring smile on her face and nodded to express her agreement, a small smile gracing her lips as well.

When the Black Eagles walked into the training grounds, they did indeed find it empty. Byleth quickly walked towards the provided weapons and grabbed a sword. She turned around and did a quick head count, making sure that all of her students were there. She thought that Bernadetta had failed to follow, but she was relieved when she saw that purple hair behind Dorothea.

“As I said, I want to see how well you do in battle, and try to get a feel for how much you have to learn.” Byleth spoke as if she was addressing new mercenaries. “Each of you grab your preferred weapon, or if you use magic, make sure you have your tome. I will fight you one at a time, and the fight will end when either one of us lands what would be a fatal blow or 3 minutes are up.” She paused for a second and the students started gathering their weapons of choice when she spoke up again. “If you are using magic, I ask that you control it enough to not do permanent damage. It would be unfortunate to need a new professor after just one day.”

After the students had gathered their weapons and prepared their tomes, she began testing them. While none of them were unskilled, some proved more difficult than expected. Edelgard was the only one to last the whole 3 minutes, but Byleth was not surprised after fighting alongside her at Remire. The surprising ones were Bernadetta, who despite her meek temperament was incredibly dangerous with the bow and almost took her down with several shots, and Petra, whose fighting style was very different from those Byleth had fought in the past.

\--21st of the Great Tree Moon, Edelgard--

After sparring with all the students, the professor told them to put their gear away and clean up the training grounds. As the other students went to the weapon racks, Edelgard approached her teacher with a question on her lips. “Professor, after gauging how we fought, what do you think of our chances in the mock battle next week?”

Even with the stoic nature of the professor, she could see confusion appear on the face in front of her before she got a reply. “There’s a mock battle next week?” the professor said so monotonously that Edelgard almost thought it wasn’t a question.

“Yes, there is. Were you not informed?” the student asked, wondering if the professor had even been told with the rushed nature of her appointment. “I know that you were put in charge of a class within hours of arriving, but I thought that they would at least tell you about upcoming events.” Edelgard stated more to herself than the blue haired mercenary in front of her.

“I don’t think that Seteth likes me very much, but I doubt he would not tell me this on purpose.” Byleth said. “I’ll go and ask him for more information about the mock battle tonight, but for now I think that despite the weaknesses that we have to work on for all of you, there is a lot of promise, and some of you even shocked me with how close you got to taking me out. Especially you.”

At these words, Edelgard felt her heart rise in her chest. “You came the closest to taking me out. I had to put my all into our bout.” the professor said with a faint smile. “If we can get the others up to your level by the mock battle, I have no doubt we will win.” As she finished her compliment, the others walked over to them, with only Edelgard having to still put her gear away.

“Talking to our fine instructor has prevented you from completing the task you were given, Edelgard. Once more I prove my superiority.” Ferdinand gloated. She was about to speak up when the professor began speaking. “She may not have put her weapon away yet, but she wanted to make sure that we were on the same page in regards to the mock battle and the assessment that we just completed.” 

The professor coming to her defense once again made Edelgard’s heart rise into her throat. ‘Control yourself Edelgard’ she thought as she tried to get her heartbeat under control. ‘She is just explaining the situation to her students.’ She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard her name coming from the professor.

“...I’’ talk with Seteth tonight to see if I can get the location of the battle, and if so then we will have a lesson inspecting the area and coming up with strategies.” the professor calmly said. “For now though, everyone is dismissed, and tomorrow I will have notes on your combat skills that we can go over to reduce your weaknesses.”

Once she put her weapon away, she saw Hubert waiting for her at the exit of the training grounds. “You appeared to be a bit distracted after Ferdinand began gloating.” he said as she approached him. “I was simply aggravated by what he said. And after the prolonged bout with the professor, I was feeling a bit ill-tempered, so I decided to take a moment to collect myself.” she replied.

“Hmm. I am glad that you composed yourself before doing something you may have regretted later.” Hubert said as they walked to the dormitories.

\--21st of the Great Tree Moon, Byleth--

“Have a nice evening, Seteth” the blue haired professor said as she left the man’s office. “At least he seemed to respect me taking the initiative to get more information about the battle.” Byleth said under her breath. “It also didn’t seem that he intended to not tell us about it. It would make life more difficult if we had someone actively impeding our ability to teach the students.” Sothis said as they walked down the hallway towards the infirmary.

Once she was in front of the doorway, Byleth saw a woman at the desk, seemingly filling out some paperwork. She knocked on the door jam to get her attention as she walked in. The physician turned around at the sound, greeting her new colleague. “Ah, if it isn’t the Black Eagles' new professor. I am Manuella Casagranda, physician and professor of the Golden Deer, former star of the Mittelfrank Opera House, and” she looked Byleth up and down during a pause, “available. I hope you aren’t needing my services after just one day.” she said with a hint of jest in her voice.

“Not for anything immediate, but as I am going to be staying here for the foreseeable future, I thought it would make life easier if I could get the supplies for a medicine I need through the monastery.” Byleth said, pulling out a small sheet of paper that was folded in half from her coat pocket and handling it to the other woman. “I have a little over two weeks worth currently, so if you could let me know what I need to pay to get the supplies and how long it will take to get them, I would be very grateful.”

“Hmm. Most of this we have already, and what we don’t won’t be too hard to get. And I’ll be sure to be discreet. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that.” the physician replied. “And don’t worry about the cost. The academy covers the cost of keeping the infirmary stocked, and nothing here is too costly. I can have this stuff for you by the time your current supply runs out, so come back for it in two weeks time.”

“Thank you for taking care of this. And I’ll let you know if I need anything else.” Byleth said, leaving the infirmary. “Are you sure it’s smart giving that list to the academy? It’s another piece of the puzzle of who you are.” Sothis said, still unsure if her friend had made the right choice with this. “Well, it was either that or take extra time to round up the ingredients myself, and even if the purpose of the medicine gets back to Rhea, it isn’t like I’m the only one who uses that kind of thing.” Byleth replied as they headed back to her dormitory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Like I said in the last chapter, I am going to try to post at least once a week. Until next time!


	4. Enlightening Lessons and Dark Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lessons begin in earnest as the mock battle arrives, but in her free time, just what will Byleth and Sothis find as they start their search for clues about what they are?

\--22nd of the Great Tree Moon, Edelgard--

As she and Hubert arrived at the classroom, Edelgard noticed a sign at the entrance. Written on it in long dried ink was “Gather at the stables. Bring your weapons. -Byleth”. The two students looked at each other and began heading to the stables. They were the first of their class to arrive, and as they got closer, they saw their professor finish putting a saddle and bridle on a horse. Behind her were several more horses already geared up.

Byleth noticed them once she was done with the current horse, and walked over to meet them. “Today, we are going on a scouting mission.” the professor said as she brushed some of her steel-blue hair out of her eyes. “I managed to get the location of the mock battle from Seteth, so we will see if we can’t find anything that will be advantageous to us. Of course, we have to wait for the other students.”

Over the next few minutes, the other six Black Eagles congregated at the stables, and once everyone was there, Byleth spoke up. “With the mock battle next week, I figured it would be useful to familiarize ourselves with the terrain, as well as come up with potential strategies.” She reached into the bag of the horse next to her, and pulled out a collection of papers. “I also have notes that I made regarding your combat experience from yesterday. I plan to cover that after we break for lunch.”

She put the papers back in the bag and mounted the horse. “For now though, everyone hop on a horse, and we’ll get going.” She rode out of the stable and waited for the others to mount their chosen steeds. Once everyone was ready, she led them out of the monastery and towards the nearby forest.

A little over half an hour later, the professor came to a stop near a clearing, and hopped off her horse. “Here is where the battle will be taking place.” she said as she gestured to the clearing. “Now, what do you notice about it?”

As Edelgard surveyed the clearing, she didn’t see anything immediately out of the ordinary for a battleground. There were a few copse of trees scattered about, as well as some barricades, both natural and man made. There were also some structures at opposite sides of the far end of the clearing. Once she had taken in the area, she spoke up. “It seems pretty standard for a prepared battlefield. It has fortifications and barriers to the west, separating the north and south sides of the field, and trees acting as cover to the east and north ends of the clearing.”

Once she finished, the professor responded to her observation. “All solid observations, Edelgard.” As she heard this, Edelgard felt her face get a bit warmer and hoped it was just from the sun now upon them. “Now, would someone else like to tell me how those features would impact attacking and defending?” Byleth continued, scanning across the rest of the students.

Caspar enthusiastically spoke up next as the other students got off their horses. “It would make it harder to attack the north west. And starting from where we are would be the worst because of the distance you have to cross to get to any kind of cover.” Once he finished, the professor began to speak.

“You are mostly correct, Caspar. While the north west section does have the most cover, it doesn’t help as much as you think. Due to the distance, bows and magic aren’t practical to attack at whoever is where we are currently,” the professor said while looking out at the field. “Additionally, the barricades make it difficult to mobilize infantry or cavalry. So while it is easy to defend, attacking from that area is made more difficult.”

She turned back to the class again, and once more asked for their input, this time on the north-east section. Ferdinand spoke up this time. “The lack of physical barricades means that utilizing close combat troops is easier, and as it is closer to where we are ranged attacks are more effective.”

“Alright, what about here? What are the advantages of starting from where we are?” The professor spoke asked. When no one spoke up, she began to talk. “Well, we know that attacking from the north-west is made more difficult, so you don’t have to expect much of an attack from there. This means that you can focus your attack on the north-east section. You have an advantage against whoever is there because of the fact that they have to contend with two fronts.”

As she spoke, Edelgard became entranced with her teacher. She was in her element, explaining how the terrain around them could be used to force your opponents to waste their strength. She saw a fire in the professor’s cornflower eyes that in turn lit a fire within her chest. By the time that Edelgard realized that she was no longer paying attention, Byleth had already finished covering the broad aspects of tactics related to this field, and had begun calling on students 3 at a time to have them devise strategies against each other.

\--22nd of the Great Tree Moon, Linhardt--

During the break for lunch Caspar and Linhardt took to the edge of the clearing a bit aways from the rest of the group. “What did you think of the professor’s lesson?” Caspar asked before biting into some dried meat.

“I think it was fine. Very informative.” Linhardt said as he laid against a tree and read a book he had brought with him lazily. “It seems unnecessary to have everyone here. Some of us have no interest in leading troops,” he continued, laying the book against his chest. He looked at Caspar, his tiffany hair swaying with the breeze, and turned the question back at him. “What did you think of it?”

The excitable boy stopped eating and thought for a second before giving his answer. “I don’t see much of a point in it either. I don’t want to lead troops. I just want to take down bad guys! Save the weak and innocent! You know, knightly things.” Caspar said as he sat down next to Linhardt. “I don’t see how knowing what kinds of trees offer the best cover will help me with that,” he said with an exasperated tone in his voice. “I just don't see how this helps with protecting people”

“Well, what if you are leading people who can't fight off a battlefield?” A new voice said. The two boys turned to face this new voice and found the professor walking towards them. “If you make the wrong decision, it isn't just you who suffers. So do those who you are protecting,” she said, coming to a stop a few feet in front of them and sitting on the ground. “Protecting others is about more than just being strong or fast or tough. Your choices can make it so that none of that matters, for better or worse.”

Linhardt put his hand on Caspar's arm as he spoke up. “I guess we hadn't really thought of it like that, Professor. It goes to show that we still have much to learn.” he softened his gaze as he turned to the boy sitting next to him. “That is why we are here though.”

“If you don't think about all the ways a skill can be used, you may end up not knowing something that is important later on,” the professor said as Linhardt noticed her gaze drift to the contact between the two boys, a faint warmth being found behind the blue of her eyes. “For example, what you you do if Linhardt got injured in battle and there was no one was around to heal him, Caspar? If you didn't know at least a little bit of first aid or healing magic, what would happen?” Byleth asked.

Linhard could feel Caspar tense up at this question. “I... I hadn't thought of that.” the fighter said, looking towards his feet. “I don't know what I would do.”

The professor spoke up again, saying reassuringly “That is why I plan on having everyone gain at least a little proficiency in all areas of focus. It's why I had everyone participate in the drills today. So that each of you can experience these things firsthand and decide if you want to continue with it or if it isn't something you want besides the basics.”

As their teacher finished, she stood up and dusted herself off. “Just to let you know, I'm going to start gathering everyone up for review in a few minutes.”

While she walked off, Linhardt spoke up again. “Our professor is quite perceptive. She noticed my hand on you and I doubt that she didn't pick up on it's context.” He tilted his head and thought of the professors reaction for a second before continuing. “While I am not the most apt at understanding people, I don't believe she thought less of us.”

“That's great! We have one less person to worry about!” the tiffany haired boy said as he leaned towards Linhardt. “It's nice to have people we can be ourselves around” he finished before quickly kissing the taller one and standing up. “We have to get back to training so we can beat the other houses!”

“If we must…” Linhardt replied before standing up and following Caspar.

\--27th of the Great Tree Moon, Byleth--

“So, we finally get a chance to see what we can find in these books,” Byleth heard from her mental friend as she walked into the library. It seemed mostly empty, save for a few monks and Tomas the librarian. She tried to find anything that may have been useful, from almanacs of foreign lands to bestiaries of exotic creatures to ancient civilizations, but all of the books she could find had little information beyond basic summaries.

“It’s like there’s nothing here about anything but Fodlan and its people.” Byleth said to Sothis. “Everything here”, she continues as she looks at the books in front of her, “reads like it is just here to point at when someone asks about a topic.” Byleth gave an exasperated sigh as she closed the last book. “I guess we could ask one of the monks,” she whispered to her companion.

“That feels risky, but I agree. We don’t have any other options to find information in this library.” Sothis sighed heavily, continuing “But who do we ask? Definitely not the librarian.” 

Byleth got up from the table “Guess that leaves the monks,” she said, heading towards the closest monk. As she got close, Byleth cleared her throat to get his attention. “Hello, I’m wondering if you can help me find some books on a subject.”

He turned to face her, a smile on his face. “Well, what subject are you interested in?” he asked. 

“I’m looking for information on the other races of the world. I found a little bit, but I am wondering if there is anything more in depth.” Byleth said, gesturing to her table.

“Oh. It looks like you have most of what we have on that subject over there. I can let you know if we get any more, but Rhea has to approve them before they go into circulation,” he replied. “For that reason, it may be a while before such a book becomes available.”

“If you could let me know when such a book comes in, it would be very helpful,” Byleth replied stoically, despite seeing Sothis’s look of shock. “Thank you for your time,” she said before going to put away the books she had pulled. Once she had finished she headed quickly back to her room, closing the door and windows before turning to Sothis.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?!” Sothis basically yelled. “They are censoring what information these students have? Are they trying to train them to blindl…” Sothis trailed off and Byleth nodded, showing that she had reached the same conclusion.

“They don’t want people to turn against them,” the blue haired woman started, “so they control what the students learn about their enemies. These students are the future leaders of the three kingdoms.” Byleth reached behind her desk and pulled out a small notebook. She started writing down what she had learned about the church’s control of information. Once she finished, she put the notebook back behind the desk.

“We’re digging into something dangerous. I see why your father is so wary of Rhea,” the floating girl said quietly. “I know that I can’t do much to help with this, but please, put your safety first. Knowing what we are is useless if we die.”

\--30th of the Great Tree Moon, Edelgard-- 

After congratulating the Eagles for their victory, the Professor had run off before she could be told of the plan the students had come up with to celebrate. Feeling that it was her duty, the Imperial princess set out to find the mercenary before the event while the other students prepared it. She had gone to her professor’s normal spots, including her room, the training ground, and the library. But after finding her in none of those places, she had headed to her father’s office to see if he knew where she was.

As she walked down the empty hall towards the office, she heard muffled voices. When she got to Jeralt’s office, the door was closed, but she could faintly make out the professor and her father talking. She had decided to wait for the professor when she heard an unfamiliar noise come from the office in the form of the professor laughing.

Up until now, the teacher had appeared only stoic or cautiously kind during and outside of classes, so this instantly intrigued the accidental eavesdropper. As she started listening more closely, she started making out the conversation.

“Did you really find me getting thrown by Raphael that funny?” the soft cheery voice of the professor said with hints of her laugh still in it.

Her father replied, his boisterous tone making his amusement evident. “I did. You are usually the one on the giving end of that, so the look of shock on your face made me nearly burst out laughing then and there.”

“Well, I’m glad that my misfortune was funny, I do have another reason for wanting to talk to you while everyone else is celebrating,” the steel-blue haired woman said. “I learned something devious in the library. Or more about the library.”

This caught Edelgard’s rapt attention. What could her professor have found? And what was she looking for that led her to find this?

“What did you find? I assume it’s related to you and Sothis.” Jeralt asked, the boisterous tone replaced by complete seriousness. 

‘Who is Sothis? And how is she related to the professor?’ Edelgard thought as she awaited whatever came next.

“Adjacently. It’s more what I didn’t find. There’s little more than token information on any cultures outside of Fodlan.” There was the sound of something soft landing on wood before the professor continued. “It appears that anything in the library is selectively chosen by Rhea. I asked if there were any additional resources, and a monk told me she approves all the books before they go into circulation. And with how it is curated, Sothis and I agree that is most likely to reduce the chance of the students, the future leaders of Fodlan, turning against the church.”

The sound of a chair being moved made Edelgard realize that she needed to get out of there before someone saw her. The last thing she heard before heading down the hall was “Everything I found is in the newest entry.” 

Once she had reached the end of the hall and rounded the corner, Edelgard waited until she heard the sound of a door open to go back down the way she had just come from. She saw her professor exiting Jeralt’s office, and immediately called out to her. “Professor! Perfect timing. I have been searching all over for you. The other Black Eagles and I are having a bit of a celebration for our victory, and I am wondering if you would like to join us.”

The professor closed the door to her father’s office before a faint smile appeared on her face. “I would be glad to join you all. Lead the way,” she replied, approaching the house head. Even as they walked towards the celebration, Edelgard couldn’t help but wonder just what the professor was up to. As well as how it related to her own goals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this! I know I had a blast writing it. Especially the last two sections. Look forward to more intrigue coming up, as we are just beginning to uncover the dark underbelly of Garreg Mach.


	5. Dealing with Darker Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the mock battle, Byleth learns what the church requires of her class, but in doing so brings up painful memories from her past. However, she quickly learns that by coming to the monastery, she has gained more people who care about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, the flashback in this chapter (the second scene) has violence and gore that is more than cannon typical. So if that is something you can't handle, feel free to skip it. It helps to explain something in a later chapter, but is by no means necessary.

\--2nd of the Harpstring Moon,1180, Byleth--

“The monk said that Rhea had a mission for your house. I wonder what that entails?” Sothis said as Byleth stepped into the the side room of the audience chamber.

“We’ll learn very soon.” Byleth said under her breath. “You summoned me regarding a mission?” she said as she stopped before Rhea and Seteth.

Rhea smiled somberly as she spoke. “Yes. The bandits who attacked you and the house leaders at Remire are being pursued by the Knights of Serios. Once they have located them, your house’s mission this month is to eliminate them. We will let you know once the knights have found them, so your house must be ready to go when that news arrives.”

“What does she mean by ‘this month’?” Sothis said in response to the archbishop’s words. “And does she mean to send children into battle? What is this woman doing?”

Byleth acted as the mouthpiece for her life-long friend, restating her questions and asking some of her own. “Does this mean we will have another mission next month?” she asked with a hint of surprise in her voice. “And if this is a mission for my house, does that mean you are sending the students into battle? Also, what exactly do you mean by ‘eliminate’?” The professor hoped that her assumptions were wrong, but from the sinking feeling in her stomach she felt like that was too much to ask for.

“Yes, you will have another mission every month.,” Rhea answered with a hard tone. “They exist to help the students learn about the realities of battle. Without these lessons, they would be unprepared for the harsh truths of combat.” Rhea adjusted her stance before continuing, softening her posture and her voice but a hardness remained in her eyes. “And by eliminate, we mean that you are to remove the threat that the bandits pose to the surrounding villages and travellers. The exact details are up to you, but know that we expect the issue with these bandits to be resolved permanently.”

Once she had finished, Seteth spoke up. “If you have no further questions, that is all. We will have someone collect you when the bandits are located.”

Byleth nodded and headed out of the audience chamber. “Go to your father’s office. We need to figure out what to do about this,” said Sothis. As she got to the office, her father wasn’t there but she went in anyways, closing and locking the door behind her.

She sat in the chair behind the desk and began whispering to Sothis. “So, apparently sending children into battle is a regular occurance here. And they are being sent to kill bandits.”

Sothis looked at Byleth with worry in her eyes before speaking. “Have your students taken a life before?” Byleth knew that most, if not all of them except Edelgard, had not. The world around her faded as the first time she killed a person was brought to the front of her mind.

\-- 17th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1166, Byleth--

Byleth felt the warm rain drench her completely as she ran out of the village. She could hear Sothis yelling at her, but the words were little more than noise, just like the downpour and the thrumming of her pulse in her ears. She knew that something was wrong. She could feel it as soon as her father left with some of his mercenaries, but it had gotten so much more intense minutes ago.

She came to a crossroads before stopping, taking a look around for any sign of her father or his men. There were none and she finally started actually hearing Sothis. “...even know where they went, so there’s no point in chasing after them even if you could do something to help.” Byleth whipped around at this, screaming at the green haired girl. “I CAN’T JUST DO NOTHING! SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND I KNOW IT! I HAVE TO HELP!”

At this outburst, Sothis noticed the changes that were occuring to Byleth. Her hands and arms had a thin layer of white scales on them, and her eyes were much greener than their usual color. “Byleth, you need to calm down. You’re starting to lose yourself.”

At this, the younger girl looked at her arms and noticed the change. As she did, an idea came to her mind. “I can use this,” she said, closing her eyes. She thought back to the first time she changed, and going past the fear she felt for her father and herself. Instead, she reached for the anger at her powerlessness, and the solution that Sothis awakened in her. She held onto that burning coal of emotion and let it ignite the fire within her.

When she opened her eyes again, Sothis was staring at her, a look of disbelief on her face. “OH GREAT! Now I get to go along for whatever ride you have thrown yourself on. When you come too again, I am going to give you such an earful… are you smiling at me?” she asked as she noticed the lack of animalistic tendencies in Byleth’s current form.

“You’re still in there, aren’t you? Now this, this can work!” Sothis exclaimed as Byleth unfurled her wings. She gave them a quick shake out, and then launched herself up into the rain filled air. It felt so natural to her. Like she had been meant to do this since she was born.

Once she was high above the ground, she looked around and quickly saw what looked like magic being cast to the west. She flew in that direction and quickly saw that her fears were justified. Only a few of the mercenaries were still standing and six other people were advancing towards them, weapons drawn and magic primed.

As she dove down towards the battle field her father, leaned up against a rock with blood seeping from a wound on his side, caught her eye. Almost as if he could sense her gaze, he looked up and saw her silhouetted against the dark clouds. He tracked her as she slammed into one of the attackers, driving them into the ground before immediately launching herself at the next one. Her claws tore through their armor, causing them to fall to the ground.

The rest posed no threat as she took them out in her anger fueled rampage. Their blades were as effective as training weapons and their spells scattered uselessly against her scales. As she finished the last one, she turned towards her father and the last few of his men. That’s when she saw the carnage that she had caused.

The broken bodies of her victims laid between her and her father. The most intact of them had merely had their organs spilled out onto the muddy ground before dying, while the most gruesome had been turned into nigh unrecognizable parts coated in a mixture of mud and blood. Byleth looked down to try and avoid the sight in front of her, but what she saw was even worse.

Her scales and claws were coated in the viscera from the people she had slaughtered mercilessly. The former white was now a brownish red and the rain running down her was struggling to clean it off, but even that little amount showed her the contrast between the two colors. She quickly lost her draconic form, changing back to the little girl she was as the now freezing rain was once again allowed to pelt her mercilessly. The offal still coated her arms and face, reminding her that she couldn’t escape from what she had just done.

She knelt down in the mud for a few minutes before one of the mercenaries, at Jeralts pleading she would later learn, went over and picked her up. The rest of the night was little more than a haze for her, and she began to come back to the present as the memory returned to the back of her mind.

\--2nd of the Harpstring Moon,1180, Byleth--

“Byleth? Byleth, can you hear me?” she heard as she snapped up to look at the new voice. She saw her father, a look of pain and concern on his face. He must have come back while she was having her flashback.

“I can hear you, dad,” she said as the exhaustion hit her, causing her to sink into the chair. “I just remembered that night that I first… that night outside of Verhurn.” With that, his face softened and he knelt beside her.

“It’s been a while since you thought of that. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought it on?” he said. She knew that he would need to know sooner or later, so she decided to tell him now.

“The church apparently gives the academy students monthly missions. My house’s mission is to eliminate the bandits who attacked us at Remire once the knights have found them.” Byleth dragged her hand across her face, hoping to gain some composure back, before she continued. “They will already have knights there, so why not just eliminate the bandits themselves. I know why, but still. This isn’t the way to prepare children for battle. To force them to take a life now.” As she said these words, Byleth noticed the warm wetness on her face and realized she was crying.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to rest on your couch for a bit, dad.” She said, finally standing from the chair and slowly walking towards the couch where she laid down.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, so don’t worry about anything. We can figure out what to do some other time,” her father said while draping her coat over her as she closed her eyes.

\--5 th of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As the rest of the class filtered out, Edelgard stayed behind. She had noticed that the Professor seemed distracted since the last lecture, barely noticing those around her on the noticably less frequent moments when she saw her around the monastery this weekend. Even in class she had been seemingly detached, even when she was informing the class about the house's upcoming mission.

“You don't have to worry about me. I'm doing fine,” she heard the professor say, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Edelgard started walking towards her teacher as she replied. “My apologies, Professor. I had noticed you seemed... detached, and I wanted to know if I could help.”

The steel-blue haired woman shot up at this, as if Edelgard had surprised her. ‘Why is she surprised? She spoke up first.’ Edelgard thought.

After a short pause to seemingly collect herself, the professor spoke up. “Oh, Edelgard. You… your response startled me. Did you have something you wanted to ask of me?” she said as she finished gathering up her things.

“Like I said, I noticed that you had been somewhat detached from your surroundings. I merely wanted to know if I could help in some way,” Edelgard said while her mind worked to figure out what was going on here. ‘If the professor wasn’t talking to me, then who was she talking to?’ she thought while waiting for the professors reply. ‘And what has her so distracted that she didn’t notice me waiting at my desk?’

“Oh. I’m fine. I am just worried about the mission,” the woman said as her cornflower gaze fell upon Edelgard’s face. The house leader felt something in her stomach, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the professor’s stare or the fact that the unstoppable woman before her was worried.

“I’m surprised that this mission has you this distracted. Since you have defeated them before I would think this would be easy for you.” the Imperial princess said. “So if the cause isn’t fighting them, what is it?”

“It’s your fellow students,” the professor replied. Edelgard was about to protest, but she continued before that could happen. “It isn’t their ability to fight. I know that the odds of serious injury are present, but minimal. But how many of them have taken a life before?” As she said this, a somber frown came to rest on her face. Edelgard understood why the professor was so distant now. She knew that it was likely most had never killed before, and from the look on her face, she knew the pain that it could cause.

“After my first kill” her teacher continued, “I was broken for some time. And I came from a much harsher lifestyle than your fellow students. At least in regard to physical threats.” 

The former mercenary sat down at her desk and Edelgard noticed for the first time just how human she looked. On the battlefield she had seemed like Serios herself, laying waste to her enemies. But now, Edelgard saw her imperfections. The litany of varied scars that crossed her skin, the pain that sat behind her eyes that was visible only when the warmth that was normally there flickered.

Those imperfections, those pains and wounds, made her so much more human, and so much more for it. Edelgard approached the professor, walking around her desk to be closer to her. She reached out and took her teacher’s hands in her own before she began speaking. “Professor, I know that this trial will be painful for my classmates, but please believe that they can get through it. And we shall both help them to grow from this experience, no matter how terrible it is.”

Edelgard went to step back, but found the professor now holding onto her hands, keeping her close. She looked at the professors face for some kind of explanations, and what she saw made her understand immediately. The professor was looking at her with what could only be described as grief on her face. Once they locked eyes, her teacher spoke, the words coming out as barely more than a whisper. “Please don’t leave me,” she said with tears starting to form in her eyes.

She thought back to when the last of her siblings were taken away for the last time, to when she had pleaded those exact words. With a tremble in her voice, she finally replied. “I won’t, but let’s go somewhere a bit more private, shall we? How about your room?”

The professor nodded, and Edelgard led her to her quarters, closing the door behind her. When she turned back to the room, the professor was sitting on her bed, staring at her. “I’m sorry,” she said so quietly that Edelgard almost didn’t hear it. “I should be helping you, not the other way around. How can I keep you all safe if I’m falling apart?” After hearing that, she walked over and sat down on the bed.

“Professor, you are allowed to be human. You don’t have to be some perfect being that keeps us from all harm,” the white-haired girl said, tentatively reaching for her teacher’s shoulder to offer her support. “Even in the short time that I have known you, you have done what you can to prepare us for the challenges we will face. Do not hesitate to rely on us as well, my teacher.”

“Thank you for staying with me, Edelgard,” the worn out woman said quietly. “You're the first new person I've relied on in a long time.” As she said this, Edelgard began to think more about the pained but beautiful woman. 'What have you been put through that brought you to this state?' As she thought, her professor leaned against her and rested her head against the white haired girl's shoulder.

Before Edelgard knew it, the former mercenary had fallen asleep against her. She knew that she should leave, but couldn't bring herself to wake the woman as she ran her fingers through steel-blue hair. They stayed like that until there was a knock on the door, rousing the professor and causing Edelgard to straighten up in surprise. She heard the familiar voice of Hubert from the other side.

“Professor, are you in there?” he said, his usual tone carrying a hint of concern.

The professor pulled away from Edelgard before standing up and answering “Yes, I'm here.” Edelgard didn't think that she would miss the contact as much as she did, but the professor moving away left a cold in her place that felt painfully familiar.

As the professor opened the door, Hubert continued speaking. “Professor, I am looking for Lady Edelgard, and the last time anyone saw her was when she was walking with you. Do you know where she is?”

“I'm here, Hubert,” Edelgard said, trying to make things easier on the professor. “We were talking about the upcoming mission, and time got away from us. I suppose if people have started looking for us, I may have taken up too much of your time, Professor.”

The teacher picked up on what she was doing and continued with it. “No worries Edelgard. I'm glad to get your input on the subject. And there is no need to be so formal. Byleth is fine,” she said, a smile gracing her face that for the first time in days Edelgard saw reach her eyes.

“Well then, I'll take my leave. Have a nice evening, Pro—Byleth,” Edelgard said as she stood up and walked out of the room, a faint heat present on her cheeks.

Byleth waved goodbye as the two students walked away before closing her door. Hubert chose that time to speak up. “I am glad that the Professor is interested in your input regarding the mission. I couldn't help but notice that the both of you left your supplies in the classroom however. That must have made planning much more difficult,” he said, a faint smirk on his lips.

“Hubert, I don't know what you think happened, but it was strictly related to the upcoming mission,” Edelgard replied sharply as the two walked away from Byleth's quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it, and if you want to then leave a comment.


	6. Finding Friends and Saving Students

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Harpstring Moon flies by, but not without it's share of revelations.

\--8th of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Manuela--

A little over two weeks after receiving the recipe, Manuela found Byleth in her office to pick up the requested medicine. They began chatting as the doctor grabbed the bag of medicine and handed it over to the former mercenary.

“You know Byleth, When you asked me for this, I could quite figure out what it was for. The recipe felt familiar, and it wasn't until I had all the ingredients in front of me that I realized what it was for.” As she said this, Manuela watched as the blue haired professor's face became a stoic facade. With a slight chuckle, she continued. “You don't have to worry about me telling anyone about this without your permission. I only brought it up because there are others here that are like you, and I was wondering if you would be interested in meeting with them.”

Byleth's face lost its stoic edges and her eyebrows perked up at that. “Others who have transitioned?” she asked. Manuela nodded in response and the Black Eagles professor seemed to contemplate this for a moment before speaking again. “I would like that. I'm not sure what to expect however. I've only ever met one person like me.”

“Oh don't worry about that. Everyone needs people that they can share experiences with.” The former opera star said, waving her hand as if to sweep away that fear. “Now, you get back to your duties, and I'll let you know if the others are willing to meet.”

With that, Byleth left to go back to whatever it was she was doing. With no one else expected, Manuela went to her desk and sat down. ‘At least she was willing to meet the others,’ Manuela thought. ‘With how skittish the others are about it, I was pretty sure she would have rejected the offer as well.’ She let out a sigh and pulled out a bottle and a glass from a drawer in her desk. ‘Guess I have to convince the others.’

\--17th of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As she approached Manuela’s office, Byleth felt on edge, wondering if she really wanted to do this. While debating with herself once more, Sothis spoke up. “Are you really thinking about backing out again?” the green haired girl said. “You’ve been flip-flopping between doing it or not doing it since you told Manuela you would! This is something you’ve wanted since you realized you were a girl!”

“You’re right,” Byleth whispered under her breath. With that she reached out to the door and knocked.

She immediately heard Manuela respond to her knock. “Just a moment,” she said, followed by the sound of shuffling behind the door. As it opened up, Manuela greeted the blue haired professor. “Ah, right on time! Come on in!”

Walking into the office, Byleth was surprised at who she saw. Sitting on the couch were Caspar and Dorothea, a tea set on the coffee table in front of them. They seemed just as surprised to see their professor standing in the doorway. Before anyone could say anything, Manuela walked out the door. “Well, I’ll give you all some space!” she said before closing the door.

“Well, I didn’t suspect that you were like me, Professor,” the brunette said. “Come and have a seat. Might as well use this time to learn about what each of us has gone through.” At this Dorothea motioned to the chair next to the coffee table.

Byleth walked over and sat down, trying to think of what to say. Before she had to think too long, Caspar spoke up. “Weren’t you moving around all the time? How did you manage to transition, Professor?” The professor didn’t give an answer right away, and Caspar began back-pedalling. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that in my case it involved regular visits from a doctor,” he said, rubbing the back of his head.

“My father sought out someone who knew how to make the required medicine once I decided to act on my… realization. After that it was just getting checked by one of the mercenaries. His parents worked as healers in a small town, so he knew a good amount of white magic.” As Byleth said this, she thought about how her father’s mercenaries had reacted. “My father was really great about the whole thing. Most of his men were either supportive or indifferent, and those who weren’t quickly found themselves out of a job at the next town we were in.”

“But what about you two? How did each of you go about it?” Byleth asked, trying to take the focus off of her. “You seemed surprised that I was able to transition,” she directed at Caspar, “so how did you go about it?”

At this the boy straightened up a little before he began speaking. “I was able to convince my mother and father to let me transition. They mostly didn’t care because I wasn’t going to be an heir anyways. After that it was just a lot of doctor visits.” For the first time, Byleth saw a contemplative look on Caspar’s face. “My parents don’t really care one way or the other, but my brother has been really supportive. So has Linhardt. I was really glad that we both came to the academy,” the boy said, his face lighting up when he brought up his sleepy classmate.

“Linhardt was the first person I told about myself. He didn’t really react, so I thought maybe he didn’t understand. But that wasn’t the case at all. He just knew that it didn’t change who I really was.” Byleth could tell that Caspar truly cared for Linhardt just from how he talked about him. And how she had seen them during the surveying trip for the mock battle.

“I’m glad you two found each other,” the professor said with a smile on her face. “It’s clear that you care for him, and he for you.”

At this Caspar started blushing. Thankfully, Dorothea saved him by directing the attention at Byleth. “Is that a smile on your face, Professor? I don’t think I’ve seen one of those on your face before,” she said. “But I believe it is my turn to share my ‘ _ dark past’ _ ’,” she said with a chuckle. “But honestly, mine is just a story of being lucky.” As she said this, she reached for the tea, pouring herself a cup and offering some to the others. Byleth accepted, and as she poured the tea, Dorothea continued to speak.

“I was lucky enough to be picked up by the Mittlefrank Opera House, courtesy of our very own Manuela. She heard me singing one day and managed to get me in as an understudy. A few years later, I came out to her, and she helped me figure things out.” As she was speaking, Dorothea sipped her tea while staring at nothing, like she was watching those times in her head. “As it turned out, there were several people in the group who were like us or knew someone else like us. Manuela helped me train my voice, and the costumers taught me how to do my makeup. Once Manuela left for the opera for the academy, I made it my goal to follow her example. I knew that I wanted to do more with my life, and that fame is as quick to leave as it is to come.”

Her eyes focused on the professor as she wrapped up her story. “I saved up what I earned from the opera and managed to convince a noble who favored me to pay for me to attend the academy. After that it became a matter of succeeding in my schooling.”

The three continued to talk for quite a while longer, with Manuela eventually coming back in and kicking them out based on the fact that she had work to do and couldn’t get it done without her office. After they went their separate ways, Sothis finally spoke up after being quiet since her ‘motivational’ outburst earlier.

“Well, you seem to have enjoyed that far more than I expected. At least, it looks like that if that look on your face is anything to go by,” she said. Byleth looked around before speaking up.

“I did. It's reassuring to know other people like me.” She looked at Sothis before continuing. “Dad is great, but even as much as he tries, he doesn't really understand it. He can't,” Byleth finished, letting the conversation die. She walked in comfortable silence back to her quarters, Sothis floating alongside her.

\--31 st of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Edelgard felt that the month flew by after she helped Byleth with her panic attack. In the classes, the Professor had taken time to talk about real combat, and how it differs from mock combat. She had asked which of them had fought in actual combat, and which of them had killed someone before. Edelgard was not surprised to learn how few of them had killed before, with only Petra and herself having that experience.

Even with that extra focus, the entire class had been on edge up until they got the news that the bandits had been found. Once they headed out, the mood of the class changed entirely. Whereas they had previously been keeping themselves distracted as much as possible, the march to the Red Canyon was oppressively grim. Everyone was trying to steel themselves as much as they could before they arrived.

Now they stood at the entrance to the canyon, the professor having gotten a layout of the area from a scout with the knights. “We're going to have to split up to prevent the bandit's escape,” the professor said, looking at the students. “The groups will be as follows. Caspar, Linhardt, Bernadetta, Petra will go along the western path to attack from the side, while Edelgard, Hubert, Dorothea, Ferdinand and I will advance directly towards the camp.”

Once she had covered the general plan, Byleth began adding more detail. “Edelgard and Caspar are to focus on defense, while Linhardt and Dorothea focus on healing any injuries. The rest should take out what bandits they can while staying in their group. Move as a unit and don't let anyone get near your healer. If you are feeling like you are going to be overwhelmed, call out and let your group know. If that happens, the group should fall back. Don't risk your lives for the sake of the mission.”

If there are no questions,” the professor said, pausing to allow people to ask anything that came to mind, “then each group head to the beginning of their path and wait for my signal to begin advancing.” Once that was said, everyone separated into their groups and started going over their equipment one last time. After quickly checking over her sword and armor, the teacher started counting under her breath. Once she got to 100, she sent up a small flare of magic, just high enough to be seen by the other group.

“Let’s advance,” the former mercenary said with a cold look on her face.”We need to get there first, to draw the main body of the group.” About a minute after heading out, they came within sight of the bandits. Once they were seen, the bandits started mobilizing and charging at them. When the first wave hit them, the students met the bandits with swift blades and spears, cutting down the bandits while sustaining no injuries. 

During the lull between the first and second wave of attackers, Edelgard looked at Ferdinand and Dorothea. The orange haired noble seemed shakier than normal, but was handling the fact that he had just killed someone relatively well in the moment. The songstress on the other hand was standing completely still, staring at a bandit that she had hit with a fireball. 

As Edelgard was about to fall back to help her, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking at who the hand belonged to, she saw the professor. “Keep the front line in tact. I’ll take care of Dorothea,” she said. The professor walked towards the brunette and began speaking to her calmly and quietly. Edelgard wasn’t sure exactly what was said as some more bandits rushed in, but by the time she was able to look back, Dorothea looked better, if still shaken up over what had happened.

Things were looking good for a while. They were able to beat back the waves of bandits, and the saw the other students engage with the enemy’s flank, causing even more confusion. Just as Edelgard was thinking about how well this mission was going, she heard a shriek that made her blood run cold. She looked to the other group, and saw Caspar on the ground with a spear in his leg.

Before she could turn to tell the professor, she saw a blue and black blur rush past her. As Edelgard tried to track it, she saw what that blur was. Her professor had launcher herself over the gap between the two paths, a distance that was easily 40 feet. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, when she landed, the former mercenary ran right at the other line of bandits, putting herself between the wounded Caspar and the bandits.

Apparently that feat had stunned the bandits as well, as the fighting lulled for a second, which her group used to push even harder. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the professor holding back, no, pushing back the bandits by herself while her students fell back to get Caspar out of danger. When Edelgard had first seen Byleth fight, the scene invoked the tales of Serios, a graceful warrior who ended her foes effortlessly. But what was infront of her now was both more impressive and more terrifying. Her teacher was hacking through bandits as if their flesh was nothing more than air. Right now, she was more akin to a demonic beast than a divine warrior.

\--31 st of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Byleth--

She knew that pushing this hard would likely draw attention to her, and she could hear Sothis yelling as much, but she didn’t care. Byleth had had a bad feeling about this mission in her gut, and when she saw the normally chipper Caspar on the ground, she felt that fire course through her again.

As she had leapt towards the other group, her goal was to simply keep them safe while they fell back. But now, with that burning heat inside her, she could only think of annihilating the threat to her students. She could hear Sothis yelling, but the words that entered her mind were not understood in the moment. It was like background noise. Even now, however, she knew that she was going to have to deal with her angry friend later.

She was suddenly drawn back into the battle when she felt her sword break as it slammed into a bandit, knocking him off the stone path and to his death below. She tried to look around for a weapon from a fallen bandit, but as she did she saw a spear rushing at her. On instinct alone she held up her hand and felt the spear shatter against her palm, unable to pierce the scales that had appeared on her hand. With the claw-like nails on that same hand she sliced open the attacker, watching as she stumbled over the edge to follow his friend.

Taking advantage of the breathing room she had just created, Byleth grabbed a sword from the ground and began her assault in earnest again. By the time she met up with the group she had left, the bandits were almost completely taken care of. Thankfully she had managed to revert the partial transformation that had unconsciously happened earlier.

As she approached them, she heard the bandit leader from Remire yelling about how he was set up before Edelgard quickly ended his life. As the group noticed her approach, they were stunned at her appearance. She halted, looking down and saw why. Her clothes had a multitude of cuts and tears from the attacks directed at her, along with blood from the bandits she killed. She could only assume that she looked even further dishevelled beyond that.

“Of course you look awful,” she heard her green haired friend say, glad that she was not so mad as to stay away entirely. “You just sliced your way through half of a raiding force. Nobody looks good after that.” Byleth let out a relieved sigh, continuing to walk towards the group.

When she got within talking distance, she spoke up. “Is that all of the bandits on this side?” she asked, directing the question at Edelgard. All she got was a nod from the house leader, but that was enough. “Then let’s head back. I told Petra to have the other group retreat to where the paths split originally. I want to make sure Caspar is ok.”.

With this the four of them followed Byleth as they walked back over the rock bridge, the silence overwhelming any chance of conversation. As they came within sight of the other students, the heaviness in the air immediately lessened as they saw Caspar sitting down but with a smile on his face. He started standing up as soon as he saw them, only to be pushed back down by an obviously worried Linhardt.

Once they joined them, Byleth looked at the injured boy. “Are you alright, Caspar?” she asked praying that the damage wasn’t permanent. 

“Don’t need to worry about me, Professor!” he exclaimed in response. “Lin here says that I should be right as rain after a few days of rest.”

“Assuming you actually rest and don’t go immediately back to training,” Linhardt said under his breath, but loud enough to be heard by all. Byleth could tell that this had very clearly shocked him, and that was only compounding with the fact that he had faced his first real battle.

At this, Byleth looked at the students she had ordered to retreat, trying to gauge their state. Caspar was looking happy, but she could tell that he was more than a little shaken and just putting on a brave face. Bernadetta was sitting a bit away from the group with her head in between her knees, the sound of muttering coming from her.

She knew that Caspar would need help processing, as would the others, but no one was as immediate as the purple haired archer. Byleth quickly excused herself from the group, slowly walking over to where Bernadetta was sitting before taking a seat next to her.

“Hey, I know that this was awful, but you did good,” the professor said, cringing a little at how Bernadetta startled when she began speaking. “Because of your help, Caspar was able to be taken from the battle and healed. And the bandits won’t be going around terrorizing anyone anymore.”

At this Bernadetta raised her head up and looked at Byleth. “But Caspar got hurt. And he probably hates me because it’s my fault,” she said, her voice trembling with worry.

“It’s not your fault, Bernadetta,” the blue haired woman replied. “In battle, everyone has to accept that these things can happen. And Caspar doesn’t hate you. I bet he’s more worried about you than he is about himself.”

Bernadetta didn’t answer, but as Byleth sat there with the archer for a few minutes, she noticed that the purple haired girl was shaking less than before, and she considered that a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next time we get to see what these events mean for our wonderful pair of protagonists.


	7. An Experiment in Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard tries to figure out just what she saw while fighting the bandits and finds something far greater than she was expecting.

\--31 st of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Edelgard--   
  
After talking with Linhardt about Caspar’s injury, Byleth decided that they wouldn’t make the trip back to the monastery tonight. She met with a scout from the Knights of Serios who had tracked down the bandits and told them to let Rhea know of their delay. Once all of that was taken care of the Black Eagles headed to the nearby town of Tarrin. Along the way, Byleth made sure that Caspar was taking it easy, despite his many protests. When they arrived at the local inn, the professor inquired about rooms.

As she heard the professor arranging for rooms, Edelgard thought back to the fight. She knew just how powerful crests could make people, but the professor had exceeded that by far. At one point she even thought that she saw a spear bounce harmlessly off of her. The house leader knew that her professor was impressive, but now she was beginning to wonder if she was even human.

As if to break her out of her thoughts, the steel-blue haired woman returned from arranging for rooms. “I was only able to get 5 rooms, so we will have to share,” she said, looking at the students. “The rooms will be shared as follows: Caspar and Linhardt, Ferdinand and Hubert, Dorothea and Bernadetta, and Edelgard and Petra. I have the last room, but that is more so if anyone wants to talk about what happened today, they can have privacy if they want.” 

Edelgard was glad that the professor was offering that to them so early, to help them through the stress that they no doubt experienced. It also offered her a chance to ask about what she had seen the professor do. As she thought this, she heard Hubert voice his disagreement with the room arrangements.

“Professor, I must insist that Lady Edelgard share a room with me. I am her retainer and am expected to protect her,” he said.

“No,” the professor said bluntly. “I picked the pairs for reasons. Firstly, by gender. Then, the pairs were selected based on needs. Caspar needs to rest, and in case he needs more aid he is with Linhardt,” she explained, continuing while directing her attention at the black haired retainer. “That leaves you and Ferdinand. For the girls, I paired Dorothea and Bernadetta as Dorothea is the least intimidating of the girls. That leaves Petra and Edelgard.”

Hubert kept staring at the professor, but she simply moved on. “Now if no one else minds, I am going to go and bathe,” she said, gesturing to herself. When none of the students spoke up she began walking off while speaking to the group. “I’ll let you all decide on which rooms you are in”

Once she was out of sight, the students were directed to the rooms by the old woman who was originally at the counter the professor had walked up to. After getting their things settled, Edelgard began searching for Byleth. She wanted to at least start getting answers about what she had seen earlier.

\--31 st of the Harpstring Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As Byleth was washing herself, Sothis appeared beside the basin, looking at the blue haired woman. “So,” she began, “what exactly do you think will happen now that your students saw your little stunt?”, an exasperated look on her face. “Even ignoring the fact that you shattered a spear with your palm, the leap is still an inhuman feat.”

“It couldn’t be helped,” Byleth replied as she rinsed the filth off of herself. “I wasn’t going to let any of them die, and that was they only way to make sure they got away.” While saying this she stared directly at the girl before continuing. “If they begin questioning, I can say it was some wind magic.”

Sothis rolled her eyes at that response, obviously not being satisfied with that cover story. “Well, with that matter so well handled, which it isn’t, there is something else. The canyon, and the ruins that Edelgard pointed out, felt… familiar. Like I had been there before. Like a smell that brings up bittersweet memories, but without actually knowing what the memories are of.”

At this Byleth perked up. “That’s new,” she said. “We’ll have to look into that place more after we get back to the monastery. If we can find any information.” She thought of the library and how it had very clearly been ‘curated’ by the church. “There must be some place where the rejected books can be found,” she said quietly.

Byleth stepped out of the bath, grabbing a towel and drying off. “We’ll have to see if we can track down Seteth as he gets rid of them,” she said as she finished with the towel. She grabbed her clothes and took them to the wash basin. “That might at least give us a lead on where they come from.” Byleth went quiet as she began scrubbing the now dried blood out of her jacket.

The two of them sat in silence while Byleth washed her clothes, but they were disturbed by a knock at the door. The mercenary started towards the door, saying “Hold on,” before Sothis yelled “PUT SOMETHING ON FIRST!” Byleth looked at her, then her wet clothes before settling on the towel. She wrapped it around herself as she got to the door, immediately opening it to see Edelgard on the other side.

Edelgard had almost gotten a full word out before she looked the professor up and down, her face going completely red. She tried to stutter out a few words, failing each time. Byleth decided to try and help, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her into the bathing room before closing the door. As she did this, she heard Sothis cackling, a welcome change from the dour mood earlier.

Once the door was closed, Byleth spoke up. “Sorry for dragging you in here, but I thought it was better than talking in the doorway. Was there something you needed?”

At this, Edelgard started to compose herself before speaking. “I… I wished to talk to you about what happened in the red canyon today.”

Byleth went stiff as she heard this, and a shocked expression formed on Sothis’ face as she said “Wow, I expected this to happen, but not this soon.”

When the professor didn’t say anything, Edelgard continued. “After Caspar was injured, you leapt to the other group before taking on half of the bandits by yourself. I have seen amazing feats from those who bear crests, but what you did exceeds even that.” Despite her flushed face, Byleth could see the determination in the student’s periwinkle eyes. As she looked at her student, she felt her own face heat up.

“When I first saw you fight,” Edelgard continued, her voice softer than before but still containing that fire in it, “it reminded me of tales of divine warriors such as Serios and the Four Saints, but today you surpassed even those tales.”

“I don’t think I’m that good,” Byleth said, rubbing the back of her neck.

At this, Sothis spoke up as she stood next to the student. “Well, at least she didn’t mention the spear. That would be much harder to explain.”

As if being punished for speaking such words, Edelgard responded to the professors statement. “I saw you block an enemy’s spear with your palm. And don’t try to deny it. Ever since we met, you have impressed me, but what you did earlier today didn’t seem human.” 

Byleth stood there, thinking about how much she knew about Edelgard. About how much she could trust her, and about how much Edelgard trusted her. As she thought about it, Sothis could tell what was running through her head.

“NO! NO NO NO NO!” she screamed. “You can’t be thinking about telling this girl, who you met literally a month ago, about this! You can’t trust her!” Sothis yelled while pulling at her hair.

After getting no response from her professor, Edelgard started to talk again. “I’m sorry if my words offended you. I meant no ha-”

“I’m not,” Byleth interrupted.

A look of relief crossed the platinum haired girl’s face before she spoke again. “Well, I’m glad that you aren’t offended by my remark,” she said, pausing for a second. She was about to continue when Byleth interrupted once more.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” she said. She paused for a second, looking at the confused expression on Edelgard’s face. “I meant I’m not human. Or at least not sure that I am,” the professor said. Sothis was screeching in the background, but Byleth was entirely focused on the girl in front of her, trying to see what she was thinking.

For almost a minute, both of them were silent before Edelgard quietly said “What do you mean?” 

“I mean that I’m not sure I’m human,” Byleth replied. “What I did today wasn’t the strangest thing I’ve done before.” As she said this, the blue haired woman reached for her gear, pulling a knife from her belt. “Watch,” she said, drawing the blade across the back of her arm. She watched as Edelgard reacted with horror and then with confusion as green blood seeped from the wound.

“Humans don’t have green blood. And they have a heartbeat,” she said, her hand resting on her chest. ”There’s more, but I can’t show it to you in town.”

“Why would you tell me this?” Edelgard asked. “Why would you trust me with such a secret?” she asked, this time with confusion seeping into her voice. “You barely know me? What if I was going to betray you?”

“Because you’re one of the few people who cares about me. You went out of your way to check if I was alright, and when I wasn’t you did what you could to make things right.” As she said this, Byleth looked down, embarrassed at what she was saying. “You are one of only four people I’ve known who have cared about me.”

Edelgard stared at the now bashful professor. “I… don’t know what to say to that,” she said, her periwinkle gaze cutting into Byleth’s very core. “I’m… so glad that you trust me that much. And so sad that you have so few people that care for you.” She paused after saying this, and Byleth felt like she should wait for her to continue. After a few seconds, Edelgard began speaking again. “I know how terrible it can be to not have people who care for you. I’ve lost most of the people who care about me. It’s really only Hubert and my father now.”

Before she thought about it, Byleth blurted out “Well, you can count me among them now.” She immediately blushed upon realizing what she had just said.

Edelgard looked shocked, but then started laughing happily. “I’m glad to know that you care for me,” she said once her laugh died down. “I’ll keep your secret safe. Have a nice night, professor.” With that, Edelgard made to leave. Once she was through the door, Sothis began her tirade about how stupid what Byleth just did was.

\--1 st of the Garland Moon, 1180, Dorothea--

After getting back to Garreg Mach, Dorothea knew that she had to find out just what had transpired between Edie and the professor. Last night, she had seen the house leader leaving the washroom of the inn with a smile on her face. And a few minutes later when she returned after getting some things from her bag, she saw the professor leaving with wet clothes. When she asked if she had gone back for her clothes, her teacher replied that she was just finishing up.

Now she was trying to find her house leader, knowing that something had happened last night. However, that was proving more difficult than she had thought it would be. She had searched everywhere that Edie might have been, and even some of the places she was less likely to be, like the professor’s quarters. 

She was about to relent and just wait until tomorrow, when she knew she would see the house leader, when she saw Hubie and Edie turn the corner towards her. Dorothea walked towards the two with purpose. She knew that she could at least get a rise out of Edie with Hubie there, even if she didn’t learn exactly what happened.

“Hello Edie, Hubie! I’m so glad I found you,” Dorothea said as she got close to the pair. “I heard something that I would love to learn if it is true!” she said with a smirk on her face.

“Hello Dorothea. What did you learn and how can we help?” Edie said. Dorothea almost felt bad for what she was about to do. Almost.

“Well, I heard that you and the professor had some sort of rendezvous last night at the inn’s washroom.” As Dorothea said this, Edie paled and Hubie stood up even straighter, towering over the two girls.

“Excuse me,” Hubie said, “I believe I have just remembered something I have to do.” He turned and left before either of the girls could do anything to stop him.

“So, how did your meeting with the professor go? The little birdie that told me about it said you looked happier than ever, and then the professor came out in just a towel.” As Dorothea said this, Edie went from pale to bright red in an instant.

“What could you possibly be implying?” Edie asked with a sharp tone.

The smirk on Dorothea’s face grew even larger as she got a rise out of her house leader. “Oh, nothing impure if that is where your mind went. But I wouldn’t mind if you told me about what happened.”

“That would be a betrayal of the trust that the professor put in me,” Edie said, not realizing how she had phrased it.

Dorothea didn’t give her a chance to correct her mistake before taking advantage of it. “Oh, so the professor put something in you! I didn’t expect you to be the kind of girl to kiss and tell!” she said, making Edie blush even harder.

“D-Dorothea!” Edie sputtered out. “That is not what I meant at all and you know it! If you are going to be vulgar, I can just leave!”

“Alright, alright,” Dorothea said, deciding she had gotten enough of a rise out of Edie for the day. “Well, if you need any advice for wooing our teacher, I’m here to help” she said as she walked back down the hall in the direction she came from. Edie tried to reply, but all that came out was sputtering syllables.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think about it, and I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	8. Questioning Their Desires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Jeralt have a talk about feelings and what they mean. After that, Byleth gets a crash course in the less savory activities of the Church of Serios along with some tea.

\--1st of the Garland Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth sat on the end of the pier, her boots between her and her father as they spent a lazy afternoon fishing. She was vaguely aware of the water lap against her toes as they dangled off the edge when her dad spoke up.

“So,” he started, staring at the lake, “what’s on your mind kid? Something has to be bothering you or you wouldn’t have let that fish eat your bait 5 minutes ago.”

Hearing her father speak snapped Byleth out of her stupor. She pulled the line up out of the water and saw that the bait was indeed gone. This caused Sothis to pop up and start cackling.

“I didn’t think I was that distracted…” Byleth muttered.

“I couldn’t guess _why_ you might be distracted,” Sothis sarcastically drawled, “it’s not like you just revealed one of your biggest secrets to your crush.”

Byleth glared at the green haired girl, causing her to cackle more.

“What did she say now? I assume something about what’s got you stuck in your head,” Jeralt said as he chuckled at his daughter’s reaction.

“She’s just being rude,” the professor said, looking back over the pond. “Dad?” she asked, hoping he couldn’t hear the concern in her voice.

“What’s got you worked up kid?” he asked with a welcoming tone, as if she could tell him anything. He was always like that. Gruff on the outside but always putting others first.

“How did it feel when you met mom?” Byleth asked, fiddling with the hook on her line anxiously.

Sothis looked at her with disbelief. “That’s what you’re worried about?! Not the fact that your lust made you reveal one of your biggest secrets?!”

Meanwhile Jeralt turned towards his daughter, surprise on his face. “When I met your mom… honestly, we didn’t really get along at first. But we eventually found common interest in old tales and stories. We would spend afternoons in the courtyard,talking about the missions I went on for the church and heroic legends.” As he said this, an expression of contentedness washed over him.

“I know how you two got together,” Byleth said with a sigh. When she continued speaking it was with a much quieter voice. “And as much as I enjoy it, it doesn’t help me. I want to know what I’m feeling.”

“Someone’s really got you mixed up, don’t they?” her dad said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Well, I don’t think that I can tell you how you feel, so how about you tell me how they make you feel, and maybe that will help shed some light on it.”

“They… she makes me feel like I can be me,” the blue haired daughter said as a smile started creeping onto her face. “Even if I’m not sure what I am. She makes me feel like even if things go wrong, they can be set right.”

As Byleth said this, she thought about what she was feeling while she spoke, and tried to figure out what it meant. The trio sat in silence for a few minutes, Jeralt checking every minute or so to see how his daughter was doing. After those few minutes, Byleth spoke up again.

“It’s like how I feel when I’m with you, but different,” she said as she turned towards her dad. “She makes me feel like there’s hope.”

“Well, I think that’s a good place to start working on figuring out your feelings,” the blonde man said. He felt a tug on his fishing line and was about to start pulling in whatever he caught when Byleth piped up again.

“Oh, Edelgard knows about my blood.”

As he heard this, he was so shocked that he let go of the fishing rod, loudly exclaiming “WHAT?!”

“I KNEW HE WOULD BE SURPRISED!” Sothis gloated as the rod splashed into the water, being pulled away by whatever it was hooked on.

\--2nd of the Garland Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth closed her notes as she addressed the Black Eagles. “And that’s all for today. Everyone except Edelgard is dismissed. I need to talk to you about the upcoming mission.” The student’s stood up, gathering up their supplies, all of them leaving except Edelgard and Hubert. As Edelgard walked up to the professor’s desk, Hubert followed behind her. 

Sothis looked at the retainer before turning to Byleth and speaking. “So, how do you plan to deal with the shadow? I don’t think he likes you after how he threatened to ‘remove’ you if you became a distraction to ‘Lady Edelgard’.”

As Edelgard came to a stop in front of her, Byleth looked at Hubert and then back to the house leader. Sensing the issue, the platinum haired girl spoke to her teacher. “Hubert can be trusted to not let anything said here slip. But if there is something you want to keep between the two of us, I can ask him to wait outside.”

The tension left Byleth’s shoulders at her student’s reassurance. “It’s fine. I just wanted to ask if you knew if any of the students have connections to Lord Lonato or the western church,” Byleth said, a saddened tone in her voice. “I don’t want them to have to fight against someone they know if I can help it.”

Edelgard seemed to think about it for a second before she gave her answer. “No one in our house has any such connection. Ashe Ubert, in the Blue Lions house, was raised by Lord Lonato however.” As she spoke, a conflicted expression appeared on her face. “He may come to talk with you regarding our mission. He is likely to ask us to try to convince Lord Lonato to stand down. While I wish that was an option, the only thing that it would change is where Lonato is killed. The church won’t let him live after openly defying them.”

“I feared that would be the church’s reaction should we end it peacefully,” Byleth said. “I hoped that there may be a chance of his survival. But with the fact that we are being sent there to learn ‘what happens to those who are foolish enough to betray the church’, as Rhea put it, I didn’t expect there to be.” She looked down, taking a moment to think of what to say next. “Why do people put up with this abuse of power from the church? I know that this can’t be so uncommon as to be unthinkable,” she said under her breath, more to herself than the students.

She looked back up at her students to see them staring at her as if she was an oddity. “What is it? Did I say something offensive?” Byleth asked.

Edelgard spoke up first. “It is just that most people wouldn’t say something so brazen without being behind closed doors, let alone on church ground,” she answered.

Once Edelgard had spoken, Hubert was next. “That is assuming that they would say it at all. The church keeps opinion of them high and news of there actions quiet.”

“So it is more out of fear and not knowing than lack of caring,” Byleth concluded. “I can see why my dad always warned me of the church.” Byleth paused once more, thinking of her father’s actions. “I want to continue this conversation, but as you said, Edelgard, it is best done behind closed doors.”

“There are some places, in the town itself, that can provide such a location,” Edelgard said. “We could head there, if you have nothing else planned for the day.”

“I believe that may be prudent, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert agreed. “It appears our professor could use some pointers on subterfuge.” As he finished, a small smirk appeared on his face.

“What have you gotten us into?” Sothis asked, looking at the pale boys face.

\--2nd of the Garland Moon, 1180, Hubert--

While walking away from the monastery, Hubert looked at Lady Edelgard and the professor as they walked in front of him by a few steps. Even after all of his searching into who she was, he still felt like he knew too little about who the professor really is. What was her reason for her distrust of the church? What was her interest in Lady Edelgard? And just where did she come from?

The first one, Hubert suspected, would be the easiest to figure out. She seemed willing to discuss the corruption of the church, so directing her towards her own motivations wouldn’t be an issue. She could just be naive and not know about the church, but the professor seemed too smart for that.

The second one seemed to just be a normal romantic attraction on the surface. He knew that Lady Edelgard was interested in that manner, and if that is all the professor’s interest is, he would not get in the way. But that interest had been feigned to conceal more nefarious goals before. And he would not let Lady Edelgard be betrayed by those she cared about again. The very thought caused his blood to boil. 

The final one was the biggest mystery. Her story was confirmed by too many people to be a fabrication, especially the mercenaries. The fact that the same general story was repeated throughout the group meant that either all of them were in on whatever was going on or there was a basis of truth to the professor’s history. However, there were gaps in that history that were too large and too frequent to attribute to everyone who was present either forgetting or leaving.

One such example was the Golden Deer’s Leonie. She was trained by Captain Jeralt and some of his mercenaries six years ago, but his daughter was only mentioned, never seen. And by their own admission the professor’s mother had already passed. So where had she been during that time?

“Hubert, are you alright?” the professor asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Yes,” he answered. “Just thinking about my duties as Lady Edelgard’s retainer.” As he said this, he wondered how the professor would react if she knew exactly which duties he was thinking about.

“Well, if you are done with those thoughts,” Lady Edelgard said, the slightest bit of teasing in her voice, “we have arrived.”

With this Hubert looked up, seeing that the group had stopped in front of a familiar building.

  
  


\--2nd of the Garland Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As the trio walked into a small but elegant building, the scent of fragrant teas and baked goods filling her nostrils. She had suggested this small tea house as a place to talk freely partially because of its private rooms and partially because of the sweets and refreshments it offered. 

Edelgard walked up to the counter, seeing one of the regular employees behind it. “A private room for three,” she requested, to which the employee nodded and asked them to follow. They were led down a well lit hallway with multiple doors, each with a small placard next to it. The employee opened the third door in the hallway and directed them in.

“Simply pull the cord when you wish to order,” he said, pointing to a small cord with a wooden handle hanging from the wall.

He closed the door behind him and left the group on their own. Edelgard saw the professor look around the room, taking it in. There was a low table in the middle, around which 4 armchairs were arranged. On the table was a leather bound book which the imperial princess knew to contain a menu for the cafe. A frosted window in the door allowed light in, and there were candles on the table in case that wasn’t enough. 

“Have a seat, professor,” Edelgard said as she moved to the armchair near the cord. As the other two took their seats, she pushed the menu towards her professor. “Order whatever you want. I’ll pay for it.”

Byleth nodded in acknowledgment, but didn’t pick up the menu. “Before that, we should discuss something,” the steel-blue haired woman said, directing a look at Hubert. “It’s not that I don’t believe that Hubert can keep secrets, but am I able to trust him as much as I trust you?” As Byleth said this she turned to Edelgard, and the white haired girl felt the worry behind the professor’s cornflower eyes. 

“You can,” Edelgard said, a faint heat rising to her cheeks. “If you can trust me to keep a secret, you can trust Hubert to do the same.”

Byleth relaxed at this before picking up the menu. “I’ll answer whatever questions I can then,” she said, opening up the menu and immediately gaining a confused look on her face. “I don’t know what any of this is”

Edelgard spent the next few minutes explaining the various types of teas to Byleth. After that she was going to move onto the sweets but the professor decided that she would be happy with whatever was ordered. Once they had ordered, the conversation began in earnest.

“Well then,” Hubert said, looking at the professor, “what do you know about the church?”

“Not much,” Byleth admitted. “My father always focused more on avoiding them than learning about them.”

“Why is that?” Edelgard asked. “He seemed to return to working for the church with little resistance.”

“It’s mostly because we couldn’t tell her the reason why we didn’t want to stay,” Byleth paused at this, and Edelgard noticed her eyes look above and past Hubert. She turned to see what she was looking at, but nothing was there.

Byleth seemed to startle at the movement. “Sorry,” she said. “Just thinking of how much I should tell. But honesty is probably better here. My father left the monastery shortly after my mother died during my birth. The circumstances of my mother’s death and… other things led him to question what Rhea had done behind closed doors.”

“What about your mother’s death was odd?” Hubert asked, his eyes tightening as he tried to figure out the former mercenary.

“According to my father, it was almost as if Rhea expected it to happen despite my mother’s good health.” Byleth paused once more, a look of focus appearing on her face as she began speaking again. “He once said that in the months leading up to my birth, Rhea said that she would take good care of me should anything happen to my mother. And after my mother passed, Rhea’s fixation continued to grow. My father said the thing that made him leave with me was the time he found her standing over my crib, whispering to herself about her plans finally succeeding.”

As Edelgard heard this, a shiver ran down her spine. She remembered similar words being said when the crest within her had manifested. Has something similar been done to Byleth? The idea that the church would do something so heinous just added to the fact that it had to be removed.

Hubert spoke up again, having apparently thought of more questions. “Do you know what the archbishop meant when she said she had succeeded?”

“No. But those words imply that it is something that she had been working on for a long time. And with how close she was to my mother, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was using her as well,” Byleth answered. “Part of why my father and I didn’t just leave this time was the opportunity to learn more about what may have been done to me. Unfortunately, the library is so heavily censored that I haven’t been able to get any leads.”

“Yes, that is the case. The church keeps an iron grasp on what information they allow in,” Edelgared said. “Our own search has found the same thing.”

“I was planning on seeing if I could find out what was done with the books that weren’t allowed,” the professor said. “I know that Seteth is the one who gets rid of them, but I haven’t learned anything beyond that.”

“That could be useful,” the dark haired student remarked, his hand coming up to his face. “If they aren’t destroying the books, then we might be able to recover them. Although,” Hubert continued, staring fiercely at the professor as he continued, “if the archbishop knew about you, then how are you avoiding detection now?”

Byleth shifted in her seat at this question before speaking. “To be honest, I think she does suspect something. But there are a few things working in my favor. Firstly, my father and I lied about my age and birthday.” The woman shifted more in her seat after giving that reason, shrinking in on herself. Then she looked directly at Edelgard, Byleth’s cornflower eyes meeting and holding her own. “The second reason is that she only ever knew me as something else.”

“What do you mean?” Edelgard asked. She had an idea of what the professor was saying, but didn’t want to assume, nor did she want to force Byleth to say something she wasn’t ready to say. “If you are uncomfortable about it, you don’t have to explain.”

“Lady Edelgard,” Hubert interjected. “We must know that we can trus-”

Before he had finished Edelgard turned to him and spoke at him with a commanding tone. “I trust her completely. And if Byleth doesn’t want to talk about something, she doesn’t have to.” She faced the professor before speaking in a much gentler tone. “I want us to share information, and if you are willing, work together. I don’t think it is necessary, nor do I want to question you.”

“It’s alright. It’s just something I don’t talk about much.” Byleth said quietly. She took a moment to steel herself before sitting up straighter. “I was born with a boy’s body. When I was nine, I realized that I wasn’t one. I told my father a year later and he helped me become who I really am.”

“I’m glad that you trust us with that part of you,” Edelgard said as she reached out and put her hand on the professor’s knee. “And I am glad that you can be your real self.”

Byleth smiled at the contact from the student, placing her hand over the gloved one. “Thank you. This is one of the first times I’ve told someone who isn’t like me or didn’t know me during my change.”

A cough startled the two from their moment, causing them to look at the source of it while pulling their hands back to themselves. Hubert was looking at the two of them, and once they gathered themselves, he spoke up.

“Well, if you two are done with your yearning, we should start discussing our next course of action, which is what we came here to do,” the boy said.

Immediately after he said that, there was a knock at the door. He stood up with a glare on his face, walking to the door. As it was opened, it revealed a waiter with a tray of tea and treats. The unsuspecting waiter balked for a second at the black haired boy’s expression before walking into the room. They put the tray on the table as they listed what was in the three pots.

“The blue kettle has coffee, the red one has ginger tea, and the green one has bergamot,” the waiter said, quickly glancing back at Hubert. “If you need anything else, just pull the cord.” They quickly bowed and retreated out the door.

Byleth looked at her black haired student and spoke up. “I think you scared them,” she said with a small smirk on her face. Upon seeing this, Edelgard had to stifle a giggle. She failed at this when she saw Hubert glaring at the professor while she sat there nonchalantly looking back.

At this reluctantly accepted that Hubert wasn’t going to intimidate the professor into behaving. He moved back to his seat before continuing to talk. “Back to what I brought up, what is our new course of action? We must do more than just wait to follow Seteth with how unlikely that is to get us useful information.”

“We should try to find more students who have seen the church’s abuse of power,” Byleth said. “If we can get enough of them, those who will become future leaders, we can force the church’s hand. Edelgard and Hubert looked at each other once she said that.

“The church is not the only issue, professor,” Edelgard said. “The other issue is the nobility. They lord their crests over common folk, as if it’s something they earned. They treat people who have crests, including their own children, as if they are prize cattle. And if their children don’t have crests, they are often treated as if they are illegitimate.” The princess seemed lost in thought as she talked about this.

Hubert began speaking once he saw the expression on Edelgard’s face. “Since the nobility support the church and vice versa, attacking one will bring the other down on you. This means that you have to fight a two front war if you want to win.”

Byleth seemed to think about this as she poured some tea for Edelgard and herself. She handed the cup of bergamot tea to the white haired girl, bringing her out of her thoughts. “That means that recruiting the students of the Officer’s Academy is even more important. If we can get those who haven’t seen the issues with the current system to understand how bad it is, we can turn the nobility from an enemy into an ally.”

“That is easier said than done,” Hubert countered. “Most people are reluctant to see what they don’t want to believe. Nobles even more so. In addition, should violence become necessary, that would mean turning against their families. We would be setting ourselves up for failure from the beginning.”

“Sometimes,” Edelgard said, determination burning in her eyes as she looked at her retainer, “you must do something that seems unthinkable in order to achieve your goals.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! I bet you didn't expect another upload so soon! But in reality, I've been writing like a mad woman and have even more time to write in these next two weeks. So there may be even more updates than usual. But anyways, let me know what you think of it, what you like about it, and what you hate about it. I love your compliments and your critiques.


	9. Of Rebellions and Rendevous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Garland Moon passes quickly, and the rebellion of the Western Church will soon come to a head. But what can be done in the time between now and then?

\--11 th of the Garland Moon, 1180, Ashe--

As the lecture was ending, Professor Hanneman called out before the class ended. “Mr. Ubert, Professor Eisner would like to see you this afternoon when you have some time. She told me that she would be in the Black Eagles classroom until dinner.”

Ashe headed over immediately, having a vague idea of what the professor wanted to talk about. He knew that the Black Eagles’ mission this month was to help with the rebellion of Lord Lonato and the Western Church. It wasn’t too difficult to put the pieces together. She probably wanted to know whatever he could tell her about the lord and the Gaspard lands.

Upon walking into the classroom, he saw the professor writing something at her desk. As he got closer, she looked up at him. “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” she said. “Did Hanneman tell you why I wished to speak with you?”

“No,” he replied, “but I can make a guess. I know of your class’s mission, so I assume you want to learn what I know about Gaspard lands and it’s people.”

“To an extent, yes.” The professor got up and walked towards the door, closing them once she got there. “What I actually want to know is your opinion of the situation.” She walked back to Ashe and pulled a chair to her desk, motioning for him to sit.

Ashe sat down and stared at the professor for a second. “Why do you want my opinion? I’m sure it won’t be useful. I don’t know what they are planning or why.”

“I want to know because I don’t know those who I may be fighting. One of the most important things in larger engagements is to understand your opponent.” Professor Eisner said. As she said this, Ashe noticed that she looked reluctant. Like she didn’t want to fight the rebellion. “And just to be clear, anything you say here will stay between us. So you don’t have to worry about speaking your mind.”

All of this surprised the Blue Lion. He had expected this former mercenary to want to know what to expect from terrain and soldiers, not to ask how he felt about the rebellion. He had heard rumors from the mercenaries that had come in with her and her father that painted the woman in front of him as if she was some merciless force of nature. But here she was trying to understand why this was happening. And she was openly saying that she wouldn’t judge him for what he thought.

“I think that Lord Lonato would never risk his people without a good reason,” Ashe said, trying to put what was in his heart into words. “I know that not all nobles care about the commoners in their domains, but he does. He adopted me and my siblings when he learned that I was having to steal to support them. He can be reasoned with, I know it.”

“With Lord Lonato’s status as a heretic, how do you think that would end?” the professor asked. “Or do you have some other idea on how to stop this conflict?”

Suddenly Ashe felt like there was a deeper meaning to this conversation. Professor Eisner was trying to figure something out. But what was it? Or was she trying to point him in the direction of something? He thought about what had been said during this conversation. She had never said that fighting would happen, just that it may. She also wanted to learn more about what kind of person her opponent was, not as a fighter, but as someone in a position of power.

The only thing he could think of was how much she seemed to want peace. Everything he had heard about the professor, from the stories the mercenaries told to her own class’s retelling of their mission, seemed to paint her as some undefeatable warrior. But here, talking to her behind closed doors, she seemed like the valiant knights from the stories he has read. Like she knew when to raise her sword, but more importantly when to put it away.

“What do you want, professor?” Ashe asked, trusting his instincts about the former mercenary. “From what you’ve asked me, and how you’ve responded to my questions, it seems like you want some peaceful resolution. I know that as the leader of a rebellion against the church, they want Lonato to pay for his crimes, which means death. But you don’t want that, do you?”

Ashe saw a small smirk on the professor’s face. If he had seen it before he had this conversation, it would have probably given him shivers. But now it just reminded him of the expression on Lonato’s face the night he found him.

“You’re right,” the woman said, her voice laced with the sound of happiness, “I don’t want what the church wants. I don’t think that he should die for speaking his opinion. But in order to get what we want, I need your help.”

\--14 th of the Garland Moon, 1180, Ferdinand--

Ferdinand was beginning to wonder what the professor was thinking. He knew that the group tasks were necessary, but had she put any thought into how the people assigned worked together? He could work with most of his classmates, but there were two that, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t manage to get anything done around.

Firstly, there was Dorothea. While she seemed content to trade pleasantries with others, any time he tried to talk with her she acted as if he had committed some great offense towards her, but she refused to tell him why. But even with that open hostility, she still wasn’t as bad as Hubert. 

Ferdinand could almost respect the classmate. Almost. But everytime the noble did something that was befitting his station, he tainted it with something underhanded. It was as if he understood what was expected of him as the future marquis, but he didn’t care. Additionally, Hubert seemed to think that he was nothing more than a simpleton who was a prime example of what the current nobility wanted him to be. Ferdinand knew that he thought that because he had said those exact words to him a week ago.

That wasn’t even the worst thing about the situation though. The worst thing was that now he was stuck spending the day weeding with the black haired boy and he had taken his shirt off! Because of the fact that Hubert was now shirtless, Ferdinand had spent the last 5 minutes “weeding” the flowers from the flower bed while glancing over his shoulder at the other boy.

Why did he have to get paired with the one person who not only thought he was a complete fool, but also made him think about doing things unbefitting a noble in a garden. He would have to talk to the professor and ask her to not put him together with Hubert again.

“Are you done with your side already, von Aegir?” the black haired boy asked. “You are certainly staring at me quite a bit if you haven’t.”

Ferdinand felt his face get even hotter, and he knew that it wasn’t due to the midday sun. “I am simply wondering if your technique is worth adopting, as you seem to be going faster than me.”

“And what is your opinion on the matter?” Hubert said smugly.

The first thought that went through Ferdinand’s head was fuelled by Hubert’s shirtless form. Unfortunately the ginger’s mouth worked a bit faster than his brain.

“I think that I would benefit from your instruction,” he said, immediately regretting the words. ‘He’s going to think I’m even more of a fool, unable to weed a flower bed.’

“Well, you once again surprise me, von Aegir,” the shirtless boy said. “You’ve finally learned to admit when you are not the best.” As he said this, he stood up and walked over to Ferdinand. Once next to him, Hubert knelt down beside him and began pulling weeds. “Look closely and perhaps you will learn something for once.”

Maybe Ferdinand wouldn’t argue against working with Hubert in the future.

\--22 nd of the Garland Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As she was getting ready for the night, the imperial princess heard a knock at her door.

“Edelgard, are you in there?” she heard her professor say through the door. “I would like to talk with you if you are not busy.”

“Just a moment,” Edelgard replied. She checked herself over to make sure she was decent, assuring that her current clothing covered her arms and legs, before she walked to the door and opened it. Before her stood her Byleth with her arms behind her back.

“Evening Ms. Hresvelg,” the professor said. “May I come in?”

The formality of it immediately unbalanced the student. Why was the professor so serious? Was she in trouble? “Of course,” she said, stepping out of the door way and gesturing for the steel-blue haired woman to enter the room, closing the door once she entered.

Even once the two were alone, the Byleth didn’t relax. “I wanted to let you know that Ashe Ubert, from the Blue Lions, will be joining us on our classes mission this month,” she said, stiff as a board.

“Thank you for letting me know, but why are you being so… formal?” Edelgard asked wondering just why the professor was acting this way.

Byleth didn’t respond immediately, seeming to think about what to say. “I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea,” she answered. When Edelgard raised an eyebrow at this, she continued. “I am your professor, you are my student, and we are behind closed doors in the evening.” The white haired girl blushed as she understood what the professor was saying. “Others may get the idea that something inappropriate is happening.”

“Well, even if they did think that,” the student said, her cheeks flush with color, “it would just be another rumor, as nothing like that is happening between us. So there is no need to be so formal if you come here again.”

The professor’s posture immediately relaxed at that. “Oh. I just didn’t want to start any rumors about us.” As her hands fell to her sides, Edelgard noticed a small bag in the professor’s hand. “But, in regards to the mission, since Ashe is joining us, our plan to end this with as little bloodshed as possible should be easier to pull off.”

With this news, the princess thought about just how hard the professor was pushing for as little bloodshed as possible. It made her think about her own plans, and how bloody they were likely to be. Was there no better way to achieve her goals? She knew that there was no easy way, but didn’t that just mean that making things more difficult was less or a price to pay?

“Are you alright, Edelgard?” Byleth asked. Edelgard’s gaze snapped up to the professors, taking note of the concern in her cornflower eyes. How many people had looked at her like that since she was returned to Enbarr?

“I’m alright, just thinking,” she replied. “It’s fortunate that the last piece is in place. Is that all you wished to say? Did you perhaps want some tea?” As she said this, the student hoped that the professor would stay for a bit longer. She had found that the professor’s company was a commodity more precious than gold to her, and it had startled her when she realized how quickly that had happened. But having someone you could just be yourself around was very freeing when everyone else had their own ideas and plans for you.

“I would love to have some tea,” Byleth said, a small smile on her face. “But first, happy birthday!” As she said this, she brought up the bag she was carrying, offering it to Edelgard.

“Go on and see what it is. I hope you like it.”

She accepted the gift, reaching into the bag and pulling out a small wooden case that had seen obvious use. When she moved it, a rattle came from it. She set the bag down and opened the case. The inside of the case was patterned with concentric squares and it contained black and white pieces. Edelgard recognized it as some form of board game, but she had never seen it before.

“I’m very glad to have gotten this from you, but I am not sure what game it is,” she said to Byleth, hoping for some kind of explanation.

“It’s a game my father taught me when I was younger called merrills,” the professor answered. “It’s popular among travellers in the kingdom. The rules are pretty simple, so I can teach you how to play if you want.” As this was said, Edelgard’’s eyes lit up.

“Of course!” she exclaimed. “We can play while we have tea.” As the two moved to the desk, the imperial princess could think of no better birthday than the one she was having.

\--30 th of the Garland Moon, 1180, Ashe--

It was still dark out when a knock at his door roused Ashe. As he got out of bed, he spoke up to whoever was trying to wake him.

  
“Who is there?” he asked with a yawn, his eyes still bleary.

“It’s Professor Eisner. We’ve just gotten word head out to Gaspard lands. Meet at the stables in 15 minutes.”

That message immediately forced all the fatigue from Ashe’s mind. He knew what was going on now. Immediately he began changing and gathering up his equipment. The professor had given him this opportunity, so he couldn’t waste it.

Ten minutes after being roused, Ashe arrived at the stables. As he came into view, he saw several of the Black Eagles. Edelgard, Hubert, and Ferdinand were getting horses ready while Dorothea and Petra were talking off to the side. As he approached, the house leader stopped what she was doing and greeted him.

“Thank you for joining us on such short notice. The professor is currently rounding up the rest of the class,” she said trying to hold back a yawn. “I apologize for the early hour as well. We only got word from the knights less than an hour ago. There are some trail foods the professor provided by Dorothea and Petra if you want something to eat. I would recommend getting some, as we won’t have another chance to eat before we get into Gaspard territory.”

As Edelgard finished updating Ashe, the professor walked around the corner, followed by Bernadetta, along with Caspar who was carrying a still sleeping Linhardt. Once she got to the group of students, the professor called them all to attention, asking Caspar to rouse his sleeping classmate.

“Thank you all for gathering so quickly. I want to give you all an update before we set off.” A grim look settled on the blue haired woman’s face, causing an unease to settle in his gut. “The knights have pushed through the main forces of the militia and are beginning their attack on Castle Gaspard. We are to assist with operations, but we are not expected to be in the thick of the fighting. However, we should be prepared for anything. Don’t let your guard down just because you have more training than most of their soldiers. Everyone should get settled on a mount and we will head out in a few minutes.”

Ashe was putting his equipment in saddlebags when the professor walked up to him. “Ashe, I have a question for you and I need an honest answer,” she said, waiting for some kind of response. As he nodded, the professor continued. “Have you ever killed someone before?”

The question shocked the gray haired boy. He had expected something related to the mission, not this. “I have,” he said, unsure of the professor’s motives. “On one of the missions with my house, we had to remove some bandits. I didn’t want to, but it was between Annette and the bandit.”

“I understand. Killing should always be a last resort. But sometimes that choice is not one you get to make,” the professor said, her expression remorseful.

As the professor said this, Ashe could understand where the rumors he had heard about her had come from. Despite her expression, the professor’s eyes were filled with determination and even though he was taller, it felt like she was towering over him protectively. He wondered if anyone else in the class had felt this before, and if that was why they all seemed so willing to follow her into a dangerous situation.

While Ashe thought about this, everyone else had gotten ready, so once he got on his horse they set off, the professor leading the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing both the fluff and the intrigue. Let me know what you think, and like I mentioned last chapter I have more free time right now so I will probably be putting out chapters more frequently than usual.
> 
> P.S. The improper things that Ferdinand is thinking about is making out in the bushes.


	10. Baited Traps and Challenging Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Black Eagles head to deal with the Western Church's rebellion, Byleth takes time to make sure that everyone is able to cope. However, the mission goes sideways once they meet up with the Knights.

\--30 th of the Garland Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As the sun rose, Byleth looked back over her shoulder at her students. They looked tired, but other than that most of them seemed to be doing alright. However, she saw Bernadetta falling back, muttering to herself.

“You look worried,” Sothis said, floating alongside the professor, “but I know that you went over your plan well enough to be confident in it. So it must be your students.”

Byleth quickly looked around and whispered under her breath to her green haired companion. “Bernadetta seems more nervous than normal. Since she felt guilty over Caspar’s injury last month, I’m worried she’s still stuck on that.”

“Then go and talk to her. That is your job, isn’t it?” As Sothis said this, Byleth knew that she was right. It is her responsibility to make sure her students are safe.

“I’ll check on her,” she replied. Immediately she slowed down and started falling back in the group. “Edelgard,” she said as she pulled alongside the white haired girl, “take lead of the group. I need to take care of something in the back.”

At this Edelgard looked towards the back of the group and an understanding expression appeared on her face. “Take as long as you need, professor,” she replied. “If I need directions I can consult Ashe.”

With that taken care of Byleth nodded and began falling back further while Edelgard led the Black Eagles. She was quickly alongside the nervous student who was so caught up in her thoughts she didn’t notice the professor. 

“Oh, Bernie, why did you even come on this mission!” Bernadetta said to herself under her breath. “Last time you just got Caspar hurt, now someone else will get hurt because of you.”

“I told you that wasn’t your fault,” Byleth said after hearing her purple haired student’s words, shocking her out of her stupor.

“AAAHHH! P-Professor!” Bernadetta exclaimed, nearly falling off her horse. “Wh-when did you get there?!”

“Just a few seconds ago. I just wanted to talk with you,” the professor responded. “You’ve been more distant than usual since the mission at Red Canyon.”

“I-I don’t know what you mean.” the skittish girl said. “I’m fine. N-nothing wrong at all!”

Byleth frowned at this. She knew that things were bothering the girl, but she had no idea how to get through to her.

“Let her come to you at her own pace,” Sothis said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Think of her as you would a hurt animal. You wouldn’t chase it, would you?”

The blue haired woman wanted to remark about how demeaning that comparison was but decided to save it for later. Instead she settled for taking her companion’s advice. “Well then, I’ve seen you using the kitchen after dinner. Do you like to cook?”

As Byleth asked the question, Bernadetta perked up but her wariness didn’t fade completely. “You’ve seen that? I didn’t think that anyone would notice. The cooks said I could use it. Please don’t punish me.”

“I’m not going to punish you. You didn’t do anything wrong,” the professor said, trying to reassure the girl. “I’m just wondering if it’s something you do for fun.”

“Oh. I guess so,” Bernadetta replied meekly. “I mean, I don’t have to do it if you don’t want me to. I just thought that since I did it during my free time it was fine.”

“That’s not what I mean at all.” As Byleth said this she sighed internally, hoping she could get a spark of trust going before they rendevouz with the Knights of Serios. “You can keep on cooking. I’m not going to keep you from doing what you enjoy. How about we cook together some time. I’m not the best, but I do know a bit. Although hungry mercenaries may not be the best judge’s of skill.” Byleth stared ahead as she said this, scratching her cheek as she thought of some of the more dubious meals she had made in the past. When she looked back over at Bernadetta, she saw that the purple haired girl was staring at her as if she had spoken in a foreign language.

“You want to spend time with me?” Bernadetta finally asked in response. “This isn’t some kind of joke, is it?” she continued to question, seemingly in disbelief.

“It’s not a joke,” Byleth quickly replied. “Of all my students, you’re the one I am the least familiar with. I’d like to be your friend in addition to your professor.”

The professor thought for a moment that she had said something wrong as Bernadetta started tearing up. That impression faded as the normally skittish girl spoke up. “I’d like that. It’s nice to have someone who enjoys the same hobbies as you.”

For the rest of the trip to the rendezvous, Byleth and Bernadetta talked about their favorite dishes. Before they knew it the group was coming to a halt and the professor had to meet with the knights about the situation, bringing their conversation to an end.

\--30 th of the Garland Moon, 1180, Ashe--

Despite the knights telling them that they would be nowhere near the fighting, Ashe and the Black Eagles, along with Catherine and some knights found themselves having to fight off militia members led by Lonato. Despite the best efforts of the Black Eagles, many of the former townsfolk who had raised up arms had been killed. Watching those who he had grown up around fall felt as if a knife was being driven into his chest. As they got closer to the lord, he recognized his son and hesitated for a second. Ashe used this to try and enact the plan that Professor Eisner had described.

“Father! Please, whatever your reason for this fighting, we can still resolve this peacefully!” Ashe nearly screamed trying to convince the lord to lay down his arms. “We don’t want anyone else to die today!”

“Ashe, stand aside. The Central Church has commited sins that cannot be ignored,” Lonato replied, his words filled with fury. “Rhea has deceived those who worship the goddess and desecrated her holiness, using her position to achieve her own goals!”

“That doesn’t make what you are doing here right!” Ashe cried, scared by the anger he saw in his father’s eyes. “You are dragging the townsfolk to their deaths!” He hoped that his words would get through to his father, that they could settle this peacefully. Unfortunately, fate decided to rear its ugly head.

“If that is how you feel, Ashe, then prepare yourself!” the lord answered, readying himself for combat. “I’ve known that this would result in my or Rhea’s death from the beginning. I had only wished that you would be spared from the fighting.” With those words, he rode towards Catherine, lance at the ready. Before he could close however, the professor dashed in front of the horse, cutting it down and bringing Lonato to the ground.

“Listen to your son, Lonato,” she said stoically. “There is no need for more blood to be spilled.” Despite her words, she didn’t lower her guard. Ashe hoped that the professor would be able to keep her promise.

“I have no choice but to show you the truth or strike you down as one of Rhea’s dogs!” Lonato said as he got up and charged at the blue haired woman. Despite his battle experience, he was no match for the professor, unable to land a blow on her. When she finally retaliated it was startlingly quick. Her blade pierced through his armor and out the back, blood slickly coating the metal. As she drew out the sword, she lowered the lord to the ground slowly. 

The gray haired boy ran over to his father, kneeling in the ground beside him. “Father!” he screamed, his eyes welling up with tears. As he was trying to find words to say, Lonato’s hand rose up to Ashe’s cheek.

“I’m glad that you are unharmed, Ashe,” Lonato said, his voice raspy. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you from losing someone once again. But I hope that you have seen a bit of the truth that is hidden beneath the lies,” he said, his voice fading away and his hand falling to the ground.

If seeing those he had grown up around fall had been like a knife, watching his father die was like being gutted. Ashe knelt there beside his fallen father until the professor gently pulled him away. He sat on a log, feeling as if there was nothing inside him until Edelgard came up to him while everyone else was getting their injuries tended to.

“Ashe. I know it means little, but I am sorry that this happened. However, we have been given permission to give Lord Lonato a quick burial,” Edelgard said, a somber tone in her voice. “The professor wanted me to bring you there.” With this the house leader offered her hand to the desolate boy.

Ashe looked up at her before he asked the question that had been plaguing his thoughts. “Did I do something wrong? Is that why the plan failed?” Edelgard tensed as he asked this, obviously not expecting that question.

“No, you did everything right. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan them to,” she answered, her eyes unfocused, as if she wasn’t completely there. “Long ago I was told something that has helped me through terrible times. Even if things don’t go as you hope, you have to keep trying. Because if you give up, your dreams will never come to pass.” With this said, Edelgard motioned for Ashe to take her hand once more. He took it and followed her to wherever the professor was.

By the time ten minutes had passed, Ashe realized that something was going on. While they were originally heading towards the town, Edelgard just turned down a side trail. He was about to question what was happening when the white haired girl spoke up.

“We’re almost there, so I feel that I can explain what we’re doing,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “While we hoped that the plan of convincing Lonato to surrender, I knew that it was unlikely. So the professor and I came up with a secondary plan, which thankfully worked.”

Ashe was dumbfounded at this revelation. “What are you saying?” he asked, trying to not let himself hope that she meant what he thought she meant. “I saw him die. I was right beside him. The plan obviously failed.”

“Well, see for yourself.” As Edelgard said this, the two of them came upon the professor and two apparent knights. Next to them was Lord Lonato sitting against a tree. Ashe immediately ran towards his father, nearly bowling him over as he reached him.

“You’re alive!” Ashe said as he cried into his father’s shoulder. The lord weakly wrapped his arm around the boy at this, trying to comfort him. As this happened, Ashe looked at his father and asked the question that was at the forefront of his mind. “How did this happen?”

“When I stabbed him, I aimed for a blow that would look convincing but not actually kill,” The professor answered, finally speaking up. “After that it was just an issue of giving him something that would knock him out, which I did when I lowered him to the ground. It was a poison that paralyses the victim and slows their vitals. Hubert got it for me. It would have been deadly, but we had a healer ready to cast Restore when we got him away.” 

“But why not tell me of this before? And why have this plan at all?” Ashe asked, confused as to why the professor and Edelgard would go to such lengths to save his father.

“We needed you to be as convincing as possible, or Catherine might have gotten suspicious,” Edelgard remarked calmy. “As for why did this at all, it was because we gave you our word. There is something that must be settled though.” As she said this, the white haired girl turned to face the injured lord. “I assume the professor has already explained what is required for you to go free?” she asked Lonato, .

The lord looked up at her, letting go of Ashe before he spoke. “She has. Although I don’t know how much use my knowledge will be.” He then turned to look at the professor. “I know that if I attempt this again, it will end just as poorly. I hope that your methods of exposing what has been happening bears fruit.”

At that the professor nodded before turning and walking away from the father and son to give them space. While many questions still had to be answered, they could wait for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's a bit shorter than I wanted, but where it ended felt like too natural of an end point to continue. I do have the next chapter in the works already though, so I will hopefully have it out soon. Once again, let me know what you thought of this chapter, whether you loved it or hated it or felt like it was just ok.


	11. Painful Memories Brought to Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the mission in Gaspard land, the Black Eagles are now preparing for the assassination attempt, which they know to be a cover for a raid of the Holy Tomb. As this happen though, Byleth begins her search for allies in earnest. But will allies be all that comes up from her search?

\--2 nd of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Even with the additional information that was gained for Lord Lonato, there was still too much uncertainty for Edelgard to rest easily. What do those pulling the strings get from this? What did they stand to gain from raiding the Holy Tomb? As she was pondering these questions, she didn’t notice Dorothea and Petra walk into the classroom.

“Well there you are Edie!” Dorothea called out, startling the white haired girl from her thoughts and causing her to let out a quiet yelp. “We were wondering where you were. You’ve been distracted since we got back. I didn’t think that you would be that worried about the archbishop, so what’s bothering you?” As she asked this, she and Petra took seats near the house leader.

“Yes. You have been very much distraction since we returned,” Petra added. “We are just wanting to be making sure that you are not being worried to death.”

Edelgard took a second to compose herself before she responded to the questions her classmates had posed. “I am fine. My recent… inattentiveness is not due to what happened on the last mission. I have just been trying to figure out what the group who is planning the attack wants with whatever is in the holy tomb.”

“Ah!” Petra exclaimed gladly. “You are trying to be within the mind of our enemy. Very clever.”

Dorothea nodded at Petra’s remark. “If that’s what’s bothering you,” the brunette started to ask, “how can we help? Do you have any ideas of what their plan could be?”

Edelgard let out a sigh as a smirk appeared on her lips. “I guess I have no other choice then,” she said to the two newfound companions. “All that I know so far, assuming our hunch is correct, is that our enemy wants whatever is in the Holy Tomb. Unfortunately, we don’t know what is stored there aside from the supposed remains of the goddess. But what could they want with that?”

“Lonato did claim that the Archbishop Rhea and the Central Church had desecrated the goddess. Maybe they want the remains to ‘protect’ them” Dorothea suggested, adding air quotes for emphasis.

“That does sound like something they would be wanting,” Petra agreed. “I know that in Brigid there are those who avenge the spirits if they have been wronged.”

Edelgard nodded, but still wasn’t satisfied. “That is a reasonable guess, but it still feels like a piece is missing. If all they wanted was the remains, why not just wait until they kill the archbishop? I don’t claim to be an expert but stealing the remains of the goddess from her grave seems like desecration as well.” The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Edelgard spoke again. “I think that before we try to determine our enemies goal, we need to figure out what could be in the tomb. And our best bet for that is the library.” Once she finished, Edelgard stood up and headed out of the classroom. The two other girls looked at each other before getting up and following their house leader.

\--3 rd of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Exhausted. That was the only word to describe how Byleth felt. Ever since she had gotten back from the last mission, she had been running around. All of her time outside of classes had been spent preparing for the “assassination” that she knew was fake or trying to meet with the students of other houses. Even though Hubert had said in no uncertain terms that what she was doing was an unnecessary risk, she still felt the need to try. The church had been hurting people for so long that There had to be more people who were willing to join their cause. 

“A-ha! There you are, Ms. Eisner!” a boisterous voice called out, causing the professor to freeze mid step. As she turned around she saw a face that had grown somewhat familiar during the past few months.

“Alois. How can I help you?” Byleth asked. ‘Just how would he react if he knew what I was a part of?’ she thought.

The knight walked over as he gave his answer. “I’m just trying to make sure that you are adjusting well to this new setting,” he said, gesturing around with his hands. “From what Jeralt has told me, this is a very big change from how you used to live. I would feel awful if I didn’t do what I could to help make that change easier.”

“Thanks,” Byleth said, trying to get a read of her father’s former squire.

“We could try to see what he knows,” Sothis said as she walked into Byleth’s view. “And you could use a break. You’ve been running yourself ragged since you got here.”

The blue haired woman could do nothing but agree with her longtime friend. She had been going non-stop since she got to Garreg Mach. “I’m just tired is all,” she continued to the knight. “It’s been very… eventful since I got here.”

Alois let out a hearty chuckle at that. “Well then, how about doing something to relax?” he suggested. “You share your father’s interest in fishing, correct? Would you like to join me?”

A small smile appeared on Byleth’s face. “I’m done for the day, so why not,” she answered. With that the pair headed to the pond. As they walked, Sothis spoke up again.

“You may be able to learn more about the church’s activities from him,” she suggested. “He seems to be very fond of you and your father.”

After borrowing some rods, the two started fishing and Alois began regaling Byleth with stories, mostly about his father. The amount of tales that he had about her father began to wonder just how long Alois had known him.

“You sure do seem to know a lot about my father’s time with the church,” Byleth said as she waited for a fish to byte.

“Well, he did basically raise me,” Alois responded. “I wasn’t even 15 when he took me as his squire. I guess that makes us basically siblings!”

“That’s quite the age gap for siblings,” the professor answered. “I can think of plenty of people who would be a worse brother, though.”

Alois immediately reacted to Byleth’s words, throwing his hands up in excitement and dropping his rod in the pond. “Do you really mean that?! I’m so glad that you think of me as family!”

Byleth chuckled at those words, which caused Alois to look at her with confusion. When she saw this, she stifled her laughter enough to talk. “Sorry. I don’t mean that you’re wrong, it’s just that I’ve never seen anyone so happy to be called family. I was so surprised I couldn’t help but laugh.”

A blush appeared on the knight’s face and he started shyly rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh. Well, I’m glad that I wasn’t wrong at least.” After saying this, he began looking around and suddenly realized what he had done in his excitement. “MY FISHING POLE!” Byleth began cackling at that, nearly dropping her own rod.

\--6 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Hanneman--

No matter how many times he had cornered her, Professor Eisner seemed to always have an excuse to not get checked for a crest. And that was infuriating Professor Hanneman. But, in a stroke of genius, he had come up with a surefire plan to test her for a crest. Normally, he wouldn’t have been so interested, but some of the rumors that he had heard from the students suggested that she possessed one.

He had been waiting in his office for the past two hours, knowing that the blue haired professor was going to arrive at Manuela’s office some time this morning. Finally, however, she had arrived and now was the time to spring the trap. He stepped out of his office just as his target was leaving the infirmary.

“Ah, Professor Eisner,” he began. “I happen to know that you don’t have anything to do for the next hour, and I need your help with something. Would you be so kind?” As he finished asking, he gestured towards his office.

The blue haired professor eyed him cautiously for a second before she spoke. “What do you need help with?”

“Just a simple task. I just need to get some information regarding your last mission,” he lied, hoping the professor wouldn’t know better. “You had one of my student’s join you, and that means paperwork, unfortunately.”

“Oh,” the new professor replied, the distrust leaving her face, “I didn’t know that was needed. Let’s get that done then.” As she finished she walked into the crest researcher’s office.

Hanneman followed her in and closed the door behind him. Once that was done he spoke up. “I apologize for the deceit, but there is no paperwork. I would simply like to know why you are so adamantly against getting checked for a crest. It isn’t painful if that is your worry.”

A sigh escaped the now trapped professor. “Why are you so interested?” she asked as she turned around. “You don’t even know if I have a crest.”

“I have no conclusive proof, but I have heard rumors of not only your time as a mercenary, as well as your mission to the Red Canyon,” Hanneman replied quickly, having expected this question. “And should you not have a crest, then I will simply stop asking.”

“If I agree to let you test me for a crest,” the skeptical woman said, “you have to promise me that anything you learn isn’t shared without my permission.” As she spoke, she fixed the older man with a forceful glare, letting him know just how serious she was.

Hanneman stood up straighter at the glare, taking a second before replying. “Very well. It won’t leave this room. Shall we begin?”

“What do I need to do?” Professor Eisner asked.

Hanneman walked around his desk and pulled out a small needle before walking over to the young woman. “Simply roll up your sleeve,” he said. “I need to take a sample of your blood. Then I can check for the presence of a crest on this device here.” As he spoke, he pointed to a large ornate plate in the floor.

The blue haired woman rolled up her sleeve, but as the crest researcher approached, she spoke up. “Remember what you promised,” she restated. She received a nod from the other professor as he stuck the needle in her arm. Of the two of them, she was not the one surprised when Hanneman started drawing blood.

“What is this?” he stammered out when he saw her green blood flow into the needle. “Is this some sort of trick or do you have some disease?” the stunned man asked, looking at the woman for answers.

“This is why I’ve been so reluctant to be checked for a crest,” she answered. “My blood has always been like this, and usually people who learn about it think I am some sort of freak.”

“I understand why you have been so secretive about it then,” Hanneman said as he finished drawing blood. “And I will keep your secret safe. Now, shall we check if you have a crest. That is assuming that your blood works.” He moved over to the circular plate and released the blood into an indentation. As he did, a symbol appeared above the device.

“Very strange,” he said. “It’s reacting as if there is a crest, but it lacks many of the details crests normally possess.” He reached over to grab a piece of paper and quill. “Very interesting. I will have to look into this. I’ve never seen this symbol before either.” As he said this, he began sketching the symbol. “Well, I’ll clean the analyzer and you can be on your way. I’ll let you know what I find.”

With that the young professor rolled down her sleeve and began to leave. As she was leaving however, she paused in the doorway and looked over her shoulder at Hanneman. “Please don’t tell anyone. Not even the archbishop,” she said. Before he could ask her why, she was out the door.

\--6 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Lysithea--

The Golden Deer student knew something was up. Over the past week Professor Eisner had been meeting with students from the Alliance house. All of them had said that she was simply getting to know the other students, but something felt off. Whenever she saw the Black Eagle’s professor, she felt like she was looking at a predator who was assessing prey. It was unsettling.

As Lysithea was thinking about this, she didn’t notice that exact professor walking up to her. “Lysithea,” the professor said, startling the white haired student. “Oh, sorry to surprise you. I’m wondering if you have some free time to talk.”

“What do you want to talk about?” the student asked, eyeing the professor cautiously.

“I’m just trying to get to know the other students in the year I’m teaching.” she answered. “I’ve found it’s good to try to see how other people think about problems, because sometimes your way of thinking isn’t the best one. Plus a certain house leader may have told me that you like sweets, so I got some freshly made pastries.”

“Damn it, Claude,” Lysithea said, knowing that he was the one who told Professor Eisner. “Very well. Lead the way.”

As the pair walked towards wherever the professor had planned to talk, Lysithea tried to observe her more closely. She seemed to be distracted as she walked, as if she was preoccupied by something. In addition, the blue haired woman looked tense. Before she could think of a reason why the professor would be either of these things, the two of them arrived at a small table overlooking the mountains below the monastery.

“I felt that this was a fine spot to chat,” Professor Eisner said as she sat down. “Take a seat, and as promised, fresh pastries,” she continued, pulling out a bag and setting it on the table.

After Lysithea sat down, the two of them talked for a bit about mundane things like where each of them grew up and what they specialized in with regards to combat. They talked for an hour before the student worked up the courage to bring up her thoughts about the professor.

“To be honest, professor,” she began, “this is much nicer than what I feared might happen. I thought you had some ulterior motive for talking to the students of other houses.”

The professor looked around quickly, which suddenly put the girl on edge. “To be honest in return,” the woman replied, “I do. I’ve been trying to gauge how students feel about the church and the nobility.” As she said this, she took a bite of pastry as if what she had just said wasn’t terrifying.

Lysithea stared at the professor, a mixture of confusion and fear bubbling up within her. “Why? What’s your goal?” she asked, wishing she wasn’t just a little curious.

“You know about crests and how nobles covet the status they provide, correct?”   
  


“I do.”

“And do you know that the church helps to maintain the importance of crests in our society?

“Again, I do.” As she said this, Lysithea began rubbing her wrists.

“Well, some people, like myself, have suffered because of the things that the church and nobles do to enforce their control and status,” the professor said. “And at the very least I want to make sure that no one else suffers like that.”

Lysithea was aware of only two things as the woman across from her finished speaking. The first was that her wrists felt like they were being burnt with hot metal where the manacles had been all those years ago. The second was that every thought in her head was telling her to run, but her body wouldn’t listen. As time crawled on, the burning on her wrists got worse and worse and her thoughts got louder and louder until they were almost unbearable. 

Suddenly, however, there was a third thing that the white haired girl was aware of. She heard a faint sound cutting through her thoughts. At first it was too quiet to distinctly make out, but it got louder and clearer, drowning out the thoughts and distracting her from the burning of her wrists. Once she could make it out, she realized it was someone calling to her, asking her to focus on their voice. Slowly but surely by focusing on the voice she was able to drive the thoughts and pain from her mind and she found herself back at the table with Professor Eisner knelt next to her.

“Lysithea, just focus on my voice and follow it back, okay?” the professor said, concern plainly on her face.

“Professor,” the student said, suddenly feeling drained. “I…” she tried to continue, but suddenly couldn’t find the right words.

“It’s alright. It seems like you had a panic attack,” explained the kneeling woman. “If I had known that this subject would have caused this, I would have avoided it. But are you doing better now?” 

“I… I think so,” Lysithea answered shakily. “How did you know how to get me out of it?” she asked, more confused than before.

“I just did for you what my dad does for me whenever I have one.” As the professor said this, the clues began putting themselves together for Lysithea. “Let me help you back to your room. If you want, we can talk about what happened or what we were talking about when you are ready.”

The trip back to her dormitory was a blur, and quickly the girl was laying in her bed, slowly recovering from her ordeal. While resting, she started going over what she had learned about the professor. With everything that she had learned, Lysithea reached the conclusion that while the professor was now more mysterious than she was earlier, she was certainly less terrifying.

\--6 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth couldn’t sleep, which was something that she had found unsurprising after the day she had had. This was how she found herself standing in a place her father had shown to her during their first week as the moon was high in the sky.

“Hi, mom,” she said, looking at the worn headstone in front of her. “Sorry I haven’t come to see you before now. It’s a bit hard to visit when I’m not supposed to be your daughter.” She stared at the sky above her for a while before continuing.

“I wonder how you would feel if you knew what had been done to me. Were you like me? And if so, did you know?” Byleth sat down on the ground, trying to put her feelings and fears into words. “What would you think about what I’m doing? Exposing the truth about what the church you grew up in. Would you be shocked at what has been happening? Or did you know?”

Byleth pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She laid her head on them as her eyes began to water. “I miss you. I know it’s silly, to miss someone you never met, but I can’t help but feel like I know you.” After sitting there, head on her knees, until her eyes were dry once more she got up and saw Sothis standing next to her.

“I know I’m not the same,” the green haired girl said, “but if you ever want to talk, about anything at all, just tell me. I know that I can be a bit… confrontational, but you are my best friend. I care about you.”

A smile appeared on the blue haired woman’s face at that. “I thought I was your only friend,” replied Byleth, her smile turning into a smirk.

“Why you!” Sothis exclaimed, her hands balling up and her arms going straight. “I try to offer you a shoulder to cry on, and this is how you treat me! I’ll have you know that just because you’re the only one I can talk to doesn’t mean that I have to talk to you! I could just nap until you’re old and wrinkly!” At this Byleth let out a mirthful laugh, causing Sothis’s expression to soften.

“I’m sorry. But thanks,” Byleth said as her laugh subsided. “You’re my best friend too.”

With that, the two began walking back to the professor’s room, going the long way around and enjoying each other’s company. As they were walking past the dormitories, they heard a stifled yell come from the second floor.

“What was that?” Sothis asked, turning to look at the professor only to see her already sprinting towards the entry to the dorms.

As Byleth entered the second floor, everything seemed normal, and no sound echoed through the hall. She was about to start moving down the hall when she was startled by a voice.

“You idiot!” yelled Sothis. “How could you just leave me alone!”

The blue haired woman glared at the annoyed girl as she quickly gathered herself. “What could possibly have happened to you?” she whispered.

“What if it was a ghost?” she replied, a look of fear on her face. At this Byleth just stared at her for a second with a sardonic look before the girl spoke up again. “Don’t give me that look! I’m not a ghost.”

Byleth rolled her eyes and began walking down the hallway, smirking when she saw Sothis pout. She very quickly heard a noise again, this time the sound of someone calling out for their sister coming from Edelgard’s room. The professor went to knock on the door but stopped with her hand inches from the wood.

“What are you waiting for?” Sothis chastised. “You student could be in trouble, but she is at least crying out for help! Go help!”

The former mercenary stood for another second before knocking forcefully on the door and speaking up. “Edelgard, are you alright?” she asked. When she got no response after several seconds she knocked again even harder. “Edelgard, it’s Byleth,” the professor said, hoping that nothing was wrong. She was about to knock again when she heard movement and the door opened to reveal a disheveled Edelgard.

“Professor,” the platinum haired student started. “What are you doing here at such an hour?”

As Byleth took in Edelgard’s appearance, she noticed several things that were out of the normal. First was that she was almost shaking, her arms wrapped around herself to steady them. Secondly she was covered in sweat but she was still very pale, so the professor knew that it wasn’t from heat or exertion. Finally, despite the warm season, the student was wearing long pajamas that covered her arms and legs entirely.

Byleth composed herself as she answered the student’s question. “I heard a yell while I was walking back to my room, and I came to investigate. When I got into the hallway, I heard you calling out. So I decided to check if you were alright.”

“I’m fine, Professor,” the girl replied. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

As she was beginning to step back into her room, Byleth spoke up. “I heard you call out for your sister.” When she heard this, Edelgard froze and the professor knew that something was going on. “You don’t have to, but you can talk to me about it if you want. You can trust me.”

The student was still for a short while before she gave an answer to the blue haired woman. “I’ll try. But we should move this out of the hallway.” She moved into her room and the professor followed, closing the door behind them.

Edelgard sat down on the bed and as Byleth was sitting down at the desk the platinum haired girl began speaking. “I have nightmares. I’ve had them since I was a little girl. They’re of my brothers and sisters, paralyzed, suffering through incredible agonies, hoping for help that never came. I once had eight sisters and two brothers, but I am now the only one left to inherit the throne. All of my siblings have died in one way or another, their lives snuffed out at the hands of awful men whose thirst for power drives them to commit horrific atrocities.”

Byleth had sat through her student’s words, her heart growing heavier and heavier with each one. “How could this happen?” she asked. “Who would allow such a thing to occur?” Without knowing it, the woman’s hands had become balled up into fists, wrapping themselves up in the fabric of her coat. 

“It was the same men who stripped my father of his power, making him helpless as he watched his children suffer,” Edelgard answered. As she said this, Byleth looked into the girl’s periwinkle eyes, but instead of seeing sadness or fear as she would have expected, she saw a fiery determination burning within them.

That determination brought back memories of the evening discussing plans in the tea shop a month ago. She remembered how fiercely the princess had talked about removing the imbalance of power that existed within their society, and now the woman understood why. “Edelgard,” the professor said, trying to gather up the same fire that she had seen in her student’s eyes. “I have something that I have to show you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's the longest yet at over 4200 words! And I'm even more excited for the next one too! It has one of the moments that has been planned since before I started seriously writing this story! As always, feel free to let me know what you think about the chapter, good or bad, and I hope you all are staying safe! Until next time :)


	12. Secrets and Scales Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth has something that she needs to show Edelgard, but what could it be? And what will change between them as a result?

\--6 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

“Wait, what?” Edelgard questioned, unsure what had just happened. One second she and Byleth had been talking about the cause of Edelgard’s nightmares and the next the professor was saying she had something she needed to show?

“I have to show you something,” Byleth said. “I… I didn’t tell you and Hubert everything when we talked in the tea shop.” As she said this, she stood up and seemed to wait for Edelgard to follow. This only confused the student further.

“Wait, do you mean now?” asked the white haired girl. “Why don’t you try and explain it first. It’s quite late already.” Now Edelgard was hoping to just get some clarification. First she had been woken from her nightmare by the steel-blue haired woman, and now that same woman was trying to show her something but had yet to say what it was.

At that request, Byleth retreated into herself a bit as she replied. “I’m worried that you’ll think I’m crazy. It’s not something that would be normal by any standard.” She paused for a second, seemingly to collect her thoughts before she continued. “In the past, people have called me a monster for it.”

‘Oh,’ Edelgard thought. ‘That’s why she’s so adamant. She wants to put her trust in me.’ After she understood that, the student stood up and gave her professor a response. “Very well then. Show me.”

Byleth perked up but got anxious when the white haired girl responded. “Well, I can’t show you here,” she said. “We’ll have to go outside of the monastery, so you might want to grab a coat or something.”

The white haired student once again got the thought of how strange this situation is, but decided to trust the woman in front of her. “Then I’ll get changed,” she replied. “Can you give me a few minutes?”

“Yes,” the former mercenary replied stiffly. “I’ll do that. Give you a few minutes. I’ll… wait next to the greenhouse.” With that she left the room and closed the door. 

A few minutes after that, Edelgard walked out of the dormitories and joined up with the professor. The two of them quickly left the monastery proper and travelled through the surrounding town. Byleth was unsurprisingly quiet as she guided them into the forest. Just as Edelgard was starting to wonder where they were going, the other woman spoke up. 

“Here will work,” she said as they entered a clearing in the trees. Despite the serious nature of what was happening, the white haired girl couldn’t help but take note of how the woman in front of her appeared in the moonlight. It was almost like she was a mythical creature, the way the light fell on her and illuminated her steel-blue hair. As she turned around, Edelgard caught sight of the professor’s cornflower eyes as they fixed her with a kind but serious look. The princess would have continued to stare but she was snapped out of her stupor by the woman in front of her speaking.

“So, before I show you this,” Byleth said, “I need you to promise that you won’t run or scream. It may seem scary, but you aren’t in any danger.”

“I trust you, Byleth,” replied the white haired girl. She began to steele herself for whatever was going to happen, but was completely unprepared for what happened next. After her reply, the professor walked towards the center of the clearing and began to glow with a faint pale green aura. That light quickly got brighter and consumed the woman. Despite the brightness, Edelgard could still see something happening as the professor’s form as it shifted and stretched to an enormous size. As the light faded, Edelgard understood why the professor had warned her that she wasn’t in danger.

Now in the center of the clearing stood an enormous winged creature, easily larger than house. It was covered in white scales that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight as if they were covered in a sheen of oil. Dark horns jutted from it’s head on either side, curling out and up towards the sky. It’s feet were tipped with claws that were as large as Edelgard’s hand. Edelgard was staring at perhaps the most terrifying creature she had ever seen and every instinct in her body screaming at her to run. The only thing that was keeping her in place was the fact that she was determined to prove her trust in Byleth. This was tested even more when the creature began walking towards the student. 

She was about to lose her confidence and run when she noticed something that she had missed before the creature came closer. The creature's eyes were blue. A very specific shade of blue that Edelgard had seen less than a minute before.

“Byleth?” she questioned, realizing that the professor hadn’t vanished but had transformed.

A deep, heavy voice came from the creature at Edelgard’s question. “It’s me,” the voice said, which the girl was now sure was Byleth. “This is what I show you. I’ve been able to change into this since I was a little girl. It used to just be something that would happen when I was feeling extreme emotion, but I’ve gotten better at controlling when it happens.”

The white haired girl didn’t respond, but instead reached up to put her hand on the bestial form of the professor. However, she stopped inches from the pearlescent scales between the professor’s eyes and stared into the cornflower circles, unsure if she was allowed to.

As if she knew why Edelgard was hesitating, Byleth leaned forward into her hand, closing the last inch between them. At the sudden contact, the white haired student started to pull away but stopped herself, pressing her palm more firmly against the smooth and warm scales.

“I’ll admit that I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this,” Edelgard said with an anxious chuckle. “But this is… I don’t know what to say about this! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“You aren’t afraid of me?” Byleth asked, her voice holding a nervous tone despite it’s weightyness. “You don’t think I’m some kind of vicious beast?”

“Of course not!” exclaimed the student. “No matter what you look like or can do, you’re still you.” As she said this she placed her other hand on the professor’s scales. “Anyone who thinks that this makes you a monster isn’t worth keeping around. The you that matters is the you that is inside. The woman who is talking to me right now.”

At this Byleth surprised Edelgard by pushing into her hands, rubbing her scales against the girl’s palms. “Thank you,” she said, “for seeing me for me.” As she finished speaking, a green light once again flooded Edelgard’s vision. When she could see once more, she saw the woman who had led her to the clearing in front of her, gazing at her with a smile on her face. A face that currently had a pair of pale hands on it.

Edelgard suddenly realized that her hands were cradling the professor’s face, but couldn’t convince herself to pull them away, despite knowing how this could appear. But with no one around to see them and Byleth taking no issue with it, she decided to continue her indulgence. She expected the professor to step away or pull her hands down, so she was surprised when she felt a calloused hand cover her own. Edelgard tried to speak but couldn’t find any words that felt appropriate for what was happening. As she was settling into the contentedness of the moment, the professor began speaking to her.

“I’m so happy that you don’t think I’m a monster,” Byleth said, wrapping her hands around Edelgard’s and lowering them between them. “You mean a lot to me, and I don’t know what I would have done if you had reacted with fear like so many have. I…” Byleth trailed off, but Edelgard just squeezed her hands gently, waiting for her to continue. “You make me feel like I can be me without fear. I don’t know exactly what this is between us, but I hope that we can see what it becomes together.”

Edelgard was stunned by what she had just heard. She didn’t know that the professor cared so much for her. “I’m not sure what this is between us either, Byleth,” responded Edelgard. “But I do know that in the short time we’ve known each other, you have done nothing but support me. And for that you have my gratitude. I look forward to seeing what we have flourish with you.” Byleth’s grip on Edelgard’s hands tightened at these words, and a smile grew on her face. “However, I must warn you,” the student continued, “the path I have set myself down is not a gentle one. It will most likely result in bloodshed of allies and enemies alike, and is fraught with those who would use me for their own goals. Knowing all this, would you still choose to stand with me?”

“My future has danger in it regardless of whether I’m with you or not,” Byleth answered immediately, a fierce expression on her face. “I don’t want to let the church and nobles continue to abuse their position. I also want to find out what Rhea did to me and why she did it. With you or without you, I would have to fight and make enemies. I would much rather do it with someone I can trust. So to answer your question, I will stand with you if you’ll stand with me.” 

Edelgard was shocked at how quickly Byleth had responded, as well as by how determined she seemed. She had expected the professor to take time to deliberate on the question, not give an answer immediately, and especially not one that seemed to have had quite a bit of thought put into it.

“I’ll be honest,” the white haired student replied, still a little shocked, “I didn’t expect an answer tonight. But I can’t argue with what you said.” At this Edelgard took her hands out of Byleth’s and stepped back. This made Byleth’s expression immediately change to one of worry, but before she could interject, Edelgard continued as she reached out a hand. “I’ll gladly accept your terms. I agree to stand with you if you do the same with me.”

Now it was the professor’s turn to be shocked, but much like the princess she recovered quickly, reaching for the offered hand. “I look forward to working with you, your highness,” she said, adding levity to the previously serious atmosphere and earning a chuckle from Edelgard.

“There’s no need to be so formal. I doubt that anyone who cares about such things would approve of this arrangement.” When she was done speaking, Edelgard looked up at the night sky through the trees. “I do think that it may be time to return to the dormitories. We don’t want to get caught out at night while an assassination attempt is being planned.”

Byleth nodded in agreement before leading the way back to the monastery. The journey back had a much lighter mood than the one there, with the two of them enjoying a comfortable silence. As they returned to Garreg Mach, however, they were unaware of a set of eyes watching the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this chapter. It was mainly a continuation of the last chapter, but I felt it was important enough to have it's own chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments!


	13. A Calm Week Between Stormy Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the plan made for dealing with the upcoming raid, some of the Black Eagles use this time to dive deeper into investigations or learn new skills that may come in handy later. Dotted among these experiences are moments that bring people closer, hoping to find others to weather the upcoming storm with.

\--9 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Hubert--

Despite the fact that Lady Edelgard had assured him that the professor was on their side, Hubert still had questions about her motives. What caused her to realize something was done to her? What was most unsettling was how almost everything he had learned about her seemed normal, but there were too many strange occurrences for the retainer to feel completely comfortable trusting the blue haired woman. 

In particular, there were several times where she was the only one who was uninjured despite her age and experience being far less than the others with her. What made it more suspicious was that he could at least get information about the other battles she was in, but in regards to these ones no one who was there would say anything. This meant that he had to find some other avenue of gathering information.

While he was trying to figure out his next angle of investigation, Hubert saw Captain Jeralt leaving the reception hall. Surprisingly, the knight noticed him and began making his way over to the black haired boy. As he got closer, Jeralt called out to him.

“Von Vestra! Just the person I wanted to talk to,” the captain said, coming up to Hubert. “You seem like a pretty observant one. I’m wondering how you think my daughter is doing as a teacher.”

“She seems to be a competent instructor,” answered Hubert. “Her methods may be unorthodox, but I cannot deny their effectiveness.”

“Huh, I can’t say I expected that,” Jeralt said, drawing an inquisitive look from the student.

“Did you doubt your daughter’s skills?” he asked. “Or did you think that she was not suited to teach?”

“Oh, that isn’t it at all,” the captain replied. “I just expected you to have a more detailed answer with how much you’ve been looking into her.”

Hubert immediately tensed at that remark. “I’ve simply been doing my due diligence to ensure Lady Edelgard’s safety.”

“Look,” Jeralt said, wrapping his arm around Hubert, “I get wanting to protect those close to you. But you don’t have to worry about Byleth hurting any of you. She’s willing to take a blade for each and every one of you. She thinks of you the same way that me and the mercenaries think of her. So if your searching digs up something that hurts her, well, it won’t just be me you have to answer to.”

“I see…” replied Hubert. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

“Well, if that’s clear, I’ll let you be.” As Jeralt spoke, he heartily patted the black haired boy on the back. “I’m sure you have better things to do than talk to an old man like me. And if you do have any questions about my daughter, I’m sure that she’d tell you if it’s something you need to know.” Once that was said, the captain left, heading off towards the entrance to the monastery, leaving Hubert to think about his parting words.

\--11 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Leonie--

Today was going to be a great day. She had finally managed to score some one on one training time with Captain Jeralt. She was headed to the training ground now, hoping that she could make as much of the time she had managed to arrange. However, when she walked through the doors she saw no sign of the knight captain, instead seeing his daughter. What was even more disappointing was that the Black Eagles professor began walking towards her as soon as she saw her.

“My father said to tell you he was sorry that he can’t make it, but something came up that took him away from the monastery until next week,” the professor said. “I’m free to train with you in his place however.”

Leonie immediately deflated at that explanation. “Just when I thought I would get to train with Captain Jeralt again.”

“You’ve trained with him before?” the professor questioned.

“I have,” the orange haired girl replied, surprised that she didn’t know. “He’s the one who first taught me about fighting, and the reason why I want to be a mercenary. I met him years ago when he was staying in my village during a job. Come to think of it, I was surprised to learn he had a daughter. He never brought you up.”

“I’m not surprised,” the blue haired woman said as she went to the training weapons. “You use a spear, right?” Leonie nodded and the professor grabbed training weapons for each of them before continuing. “He’s never really been comfortable talking about me unless I was there. He doesn’t like speaking for someone unless he’s sure that they would be fine with it.” As she finished, the professor offered a spear to Leonie, which was taken.

Leonie seemed to accept that and reluctantly began to train with the blue haired woman. As the two of them trained, Leonie’s mood improved. While she had been looking forward to training with the man who had taught her originally, she had to admit that the new professor did fight very similarly to him despite their different choice in weapons. They both fought as if they were studying and learning while fighting, waiting for an opportune moment to launch their attack. Additionally, during their sparring the professor offered advice and guidance, much like the captain would. Leonie could remember when he taught her that whenever he noticed a bad habit in her technique he would call it out immediately. The professor had the same trait, but it did feel strange to receive that kind of instruction from someone who was her age.

After a couple of hours, the orange haired girl was starting to feel the strain of extended sparring. Even with several breaks she could feel her muscles ache and her finer control was weakening. Despite this, Leonie continued to press on, determined to outlast her partner. This determination meant that when she noticed the blue haired professor lose her footing she went in for a strike. Her strain however meant that she was slightly off target and put too much power into the attack, landing a far heavier than intended blow to the side of the professor’s knee, causing her leg to buckle and make her fall to the ground.

“Oh Goddess!” Leonie exclaimed, dropping her spear as she realized what she had just done, sure that she had just broken something. “Are you alright? Stay down for a second and let’s look at your leg.”

Before Leonie could take a step however, the blue haired woman got herself into a sitting position and spoke. “That was a great hit. Not many people have taken me down like that.” While Leonie was stunned by her apparent lack of injury, she stood up and took a cautious step, testing her leg. It was apparently satisfactory for her, as she began walking around, the only sign of anything wrong being a slight limp.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Leonie asked, still slightly confused by how the woman shrugged off the blow. “Do you want me to help you to the infirmary?”

The professor shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ll head over just to make sure everything is fine, but I can make it there on my own.” She looked around before she continued. “Would you mind putting the weapons away though?”

“Of course! You get over to the infirmary before you do anything else,” Leonie answered, immediately beginning to collect what they had used as the professor left the training grounds. Once she had collected as much as she could, she began inspecting it and putting it away to insure everything was in working order. Everything was fine until she got to the spear she had been using. As she looked it over, she noticed that the head of it was misshapen, the edge now blunted and cracks running along it. 

‘This wasn’t like this before,” thought Leonie. ‘Is this why the professor wasn’t really injured?’ She began testing it, giving it some swings and hitting a dummy several times. When she finished that, she couldn’t figure out how the professor hadn’t been seriously injured. It still seemed to hit hard, even if it was a bit broken. ‘Just a stroke of luck like she said, I guess.’ With that bit of trivia settled, she continued collecting everything that was still scattered about.

\--12 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Jeralt--

As the morning came to an end, the Black Eagles, along with several other students, could be seen leaving the greenhouse. The captain of the knights saw this and became curious if his daughter was over there. As he headed towards the students, he saw that some of them were wearing flower crowns. He also heard Byleth speaking to the students.

“Don’t forget that if you’re in my house I’ll be testing you on what we covered,” she said from the center of the group. “If you want to be tested and you aren’t in my test, I’m sure we can work something out. But this stuff could save a life one day, so don’t take it for granted. And thank you, Bernadetta, for showing us how to make flower crowns.” At that a small shriek could be heard among various cheers of thanks. Jeralt locked eyes with his daughter while the group was thanking the small girl, receiving a nod. “And with that, you’re all free to go,” she finished, dismissing the students. Most of them left, but a few stayed. A blue haired boy began speaking as Jeralt joined the group.

“Thanks for teaching us this, professor!” the boy said. “Our first mission really showed how quickly and suddenly things can turn. I’m glad that I can help someone if they get hurt instead of just hoping they don’t get hurt.”

A small smile appeared on Byleth’s face as she responded. “I’m happy to teach this. It is my job after all.” With that the boy walked away, leaving a small group of students talking among themselves as Byleth walked to her father.

“So, did you want to talk about something?” she asked. “Or are you just wanting to spend some time together?”

“I’m actually wondering if you want to get lunch together,” answered Jeralt. As he spoke, he noticed a band of flowers in Byleth’s hand. “What do you have there?” he continued, pointing at the bright flowers.

Byleth looked down and raised her hand up, showing a flower crown to her father. “Just the crown I made during the lecture. Some of the students were having issues concentrating, so during a break we made them,” she explained. “Bernadetta showed us how. Well, once I convinced her anyway. It isn’t that good though. Turns out I’m better at destroying than creating.”

As she said this, a somber expression made its way onto her face, driving Jeralt to act. Before Byleth knew what was happening, he had snatched the crown out of her hand and was putting it on his head. “I’m so glad my daughter made me something so wonderful!” he exclaimed, loud enough to draw the attention of the students who were still around.

“Wha?” Byleth quietly mumbled, trying to figure out what just happened before she saw the crown on her father’s head. As she looked at him, he started walking away, heading in the direction of the dining hall. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“I am going to have lunch with my wonderful daughter, wearing this wonderful gift she made me,” Jeralt exclaimed, once again loud enough to make his praise heard.

Byleth stood still for a moment, her father getting further away, before she chased after him. “Hey! Dad! Don’t take that!” she yelled as she followed him, the students who were behind her laughing at the scene before them.

\--12 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As she was drifting off to sleep, Byleth’s mind wandered to a dark stone room. As it came into existence around her, she thought back to when she first arrived here. It had been so dark and scary, but now it felt warm and welcoming. Very little had changed, but there were a few differences. Bits of furniture had been conjured so that she and Sothis could spend time together and get to know each other without having to sit on the floor.

“You know,” the familiar voice of the green haired girl piped up, “I feel like we haven’t talked as much since we arrived at the monastery. I blame the fact that you have people to talk to besides me.”

Byleth shrunk in on herself a bit. “It’s just harder to talk to you with people around. And I can’t get away as much as I could before. Sorry.”

“Don’t look so sad,” Sothis chided. “It’s good in a way. Like watching someone you helped raise succeed.”

“Yes, because you are so motherly,” Byleth responded, a sarcastic hint in her voice.

“Hey! Don’t you sass me! I am very motherly!” exclaimed Sothis. “The first thing I did when we met was console and help you!”

The blue haired woman smirked as she spoke. “You’re more of a big sister than anything else. You definitely tease me enough to be my sister.”

Sothis let out a gasp at those remarks. “I don’t tease you that much!” she said, pausing as a smile grew on her face. “But you are like family. So is your father, even if we haven’t directly interacted before.”

“I’ll have to let him know,” Byleth remarked, raising a finger to her chin. “I wonder how he would feel about having two daughters?”

A blush spread across Sothis’s face as she spoke. “And you say I tease you too much! You are the absolute worst!”

“It’s only a little bit of teasing,” Byleth said with a smile. “But he does care about you. He’s said it enough at least.” The blue haired woman walked over and sat down next to Sothis. “I think that he was just happy that I wasn’t alone growing up. I always had you.”

\--13 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As she was leaving the dining hall after breakfast, Byleth heard someone call out to her. When she turned to see who it was, she saw Flayn hustling towards her.

“Ah, thank the Goddess that you heard me,” Flayn said as she closed the distance between them. “Profesor, I am wondering if you have some time to talk with me.”

“Sure, but I don’t know how much help I’ll be,” Byleth answered. “What do you want to talk about?”

At this Flayn seemed to panic a little. “We should go somewhere private! It is a bit personal, and my brother can be a little… overprotective when I bring up things like this.” As she said this, she looked around as if trying to see if someone was listening.

“Alright,” Byleth said, caving to the girl’s request. “My room is free if you don’t have any other suggestions.”

“That would be wonderful,” replied Flayn. “Lead the way!”

With that Byleth headed back to her room with the green haired girl in tow. As they were walking she wondered just what Flayn wanted to talk about. Although with how concerned she was about her brother, she could guess it had something to do with romance. Everyone knew that nothing raised Seteth’s hackles like someone getting close to his sister. She didn’t have much time to think about that as they quickly arrived at the professor’s dorm.

As she closed the door, Byleth spoke to Flayn. “So what do you want to talk about that’s so secretive?”

Byleth had barely even finished talking when Flayn began speaking almost too fast to understand. “Are you dating Edelgard? I saw you and her walk back into the monastery late into the night and you both seemed so happy! Was it a secret rendezvous? I learned about those in some of the books Dorothea and Hilda let me borrow. Although I had to hide them from my brother because he said that things like that are filth. And some of the scenes were a little explicit. But are you part of a forbidden romance? It would make sense as you are both the same age, as my brother has pointed out many times.But you two do work incredibly well together and you look cute when you ar-”

“Hold on!” interrupted the professor, having finally recovered from the initial shock. “I am not dating anyone. And all that we did outside of the monastery was go for a walk. We both had trouble sleeping and I suggested some fresh air may help us. That’s all.”

“Oh,” Flayn said, visibly deflated. “Well then I guess that’s good. It would be improper to date your student.”

“Why are you so interested in that anyways?” asked Byleth. “Also, did you say students have been giving you romance novels?”

“Well,” Flayn started, pushing her fingers together, “I don’t have much experience with that kind of thing. So I like to live vicariously through others. And you two are so cute when you are together. I know I’m not the only one hoping for it.”

Byleth sighed at that last remark. “That would require that she is interested in me too,” she said under her breath. Unfortunately for her, Flayn heard her and immediately perked back up.

“Does that mean you like Edelgard?!” she exclaimed, almost yelling in the moment.

“Quiet down!” whispered Byleth, her hands flailing with slight panic. “Ughh. I do, but nothing is going to happen. Firstly, I’m her professor, so that puts a damper on it. Second, even if I wasn’t her professor, she would have to also like me. And third, she’s a princess. Not even just a noble, but the future emperor. And I’m just a mercenary turned teacher.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about being her professor forever,” Flayn responded. “And if she likes you, I’m sure that would solve the other two reasons.”

“Did you get that from the books Dorothea gave you?” Byleth asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because unlike in those books, love doesn’t triumph over all. She has expectations that will limit what she can do. And one of those is most likely a marriage for politics.”

Flayn’s eyes lit up when the professor finished. “Are you already thinking of marriage?” she asked, drawing a blush from the professor.

“That’s it!” Byleth exclaimed, her face now flushed. “If that’s all you wanted to ask, we’re done.” As she talked, Byleth began moving Flayn towards the door, pushing her out of the room and shutting her out despite protests. Once the door was shut, she fell back onto the bed, her legs dangling off the side.

“You know,” Sothis said as she popped into view, “she isn’t exactly wrong. Edelgard doesn’t seem to be one to stick to tradition if it doesn’t work for her.”

Byleth fixed Sothis with a glare before groaning and laying her arm over her eyes. “I know, but like I said, there are too many things working against me,” she quietly replied. “And that assumes that she even likes me.”

“It’s rhetorical,” Sothis said, “but have we seen the same girl?” At this her tone shifted from questioning to chiding. “She obviously likes you! If I had any, I would bet money that if you asked her out she would say yes right there. And she already knows your secrets, so you don’t have to worry about that!”

Byleth didn’t respond to that, instead just rolling over and wondering just how much of a chance she actually had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter also marks the point where I finally, truly realized just how much I am going to write before this story is finished. Which is good if you like long fics. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments, and feel free to make guesses about what will happen next as well. In regards to that, contrats to Cuspy for guessing who the watcher was, even if the result was less sinister than most people suspected.
> 
> Also, the flower crown scene was inspired completely by a comic I saw here: https://twitter.com/aimoahmed/status/1162942185701928960


	14. Trading Blows and Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth continues her search for potential allies in the fight she shares with Edelgard. Meanwhile, the imperial princess ends up meeting with a different sort of information broker.

\--16 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth had scheduled the training ground for the afternoon and was currently watching over her class as they sparred against each other. She had them rotating through partners and weapons as part of getting them all familiar with the common types of weapons. Some of them had found out that they liked certain weapons despite never using them before. Bernadetta in particular liked the lance, although Byleth thought that may be in part to the fact that she could keep people further away than with an axe or sword. As the students were taking a break, the door to the training grounds opened, drawing the professor’s attention. 

As she turned towards the door, the professor saw Shamir walking through the door. She nodded to the professor as she entered, coming to a stop beside her and looking at the students.

“You can train if you want,” Byleth said to the knight. “I’ll make sure to keep my students out of your way.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine for now,” replied Shamir. “Plus I might as well take a chance to look at your handy-work. Catherine told me you put on quite a show when dealing with the Western Church.”

“I don’t think I did anything special,” the professor said. “I’m sure Catherine is just exaggerating. All I did was protect my students.”

At that Shamir turned to face Byleth. “I don’t know if I believe that. It takes a lot to impress Catherine, especially when she doesn’t know someone.” A sly look appeared in the knight's eyes as she spoke. “In fact, why don’t we see if you’re as impressive as she says with a little wager? It could even be a lesson for your students, seeing their professor fight in a calmer setting.”

Byleth was intrigued by this. She had yet to get to know the purple haired knight, so this could be an ice breaker. “What do you have in mind?” she asked.

“How about 50 gold?” suggested Shamir. “Not too much, but enough to make sure we both try to win.”

The professor seemed to think about it for a bit. She had the money to spare, and Shamir was right that perhaps her students would pick up a bit of knowledge. “Alright,” Byleth said, stepping forward towards her students. “Everyone gather up. We’re going to finish off with a demonstration. Shamir and I are going to spar, so pay attention and see what you can learn.”

At those words, Caspar let out an enthusiastic whoop and everyone quickly moved their equipment off to the sides. Shamir and Byleth both headed towards the equipment racks to select weapons, the professor grabbing a sword and buckler while the knight chose a bow and quiver, with a lance for backup. The two quickly moved to opposite sides of the grounds and Shamir called out to her opponent.

“First one to disarm or down the other wins?” she asked, suggesting the rules for the bout.

“That seems appropriate,” Byleth answered. “Edelgard, would you do us the favor of calling the start of the fight?” 

“Of course professor,” the house leader responded.

As Edelgard began counting down, Byleth began analyzing her opponent. She knew that Shamir was incredibly skilled with a bow, and even at this range she would be a threat. That meant Byleth had to close the distance quickly. If she could get too close for the bow to be useful, that would force Shamir to use the lance, which meant a time where her opponent had no real defense. As she decided on that strategery, the professor heard her student call out the start of the match.

Similarly to what Byleth expected, as soon the fight began, an arrow was loosed at her. The professor raised her shield and deflected the missile as she bolted towards Shamir. The archer wasn’t fazed by this and nocked another arrow, firing it lower towards Byleth’s legs, most likely to trip her up. Instead of continuing her forward charge and blocking the arrow, Byleth sidestepped and began circling towards the archer. Shamir dropped the bow, surprising the professor who had expected to face arrows for a bit longer. While Byleth was still circling, the knight switched to the lance and charged at her, forcing her to halt her circling and go on the defensive. The charge led with a forceful thrust that Byleth tried to block with her shield, but could only deflect as she was still off balance from the sudden stop. She quickly recovered her balance and tried to push through the range of Shamir’s lance, but the knight predicted that and withdrew to keep out of the professor’s range.

The two began circling each other, waiting for the other to make a mistake. Byleth knew that she had lost the advantage of reach, but she still had some tricks she could use. She sped up her circling, waiting until the sun was behind Shamir. When that happened, the professor squinted into the light, hoping the knight would see this and try to take advantage of that weakness. Shamir fell for it, lunging at Byleth. As soon as that happened, Byleth tilted her blade to shine light into the knight’s eyes, blinding her for a moment. That was all that was needed however, because as soon as the knight reacted, Byleth took a step forward and swung her sword down at the lance. The blow slammed it tip-first into the ground, where it dug into the loose earth and ripped itself from Shamir’s grasp. Byleth ran her blade up the length of the spear, delivering an almost inhuman blow to the knight’s chest as she fell into the rising sword, getting knocked onto her back.

Byleth walked over to where Shamir had fallen and offered her a hand up. The knight looked up at her and accepted the offered help. As she got to her feet she spoke up.

“I think I can see why Catherine was impressed,” Shamir said, her voice weak from being winded. “Even without the shock of losing my weapon, I didn’t expect to be flipped by a single swing.”

“I didn’t break anything, did I?” Byleth asked, worried about how much power she put behind the finishing blow.

Shamir waved her hand at her, dismissing her concern. “Just winded,” she said as she moved over to the side of the training area.

Suddenly a loud cheer reminded the professor of her students as Caspar shouted. “I knew our professor would win! She’s unbeatable!”

Byleth shook her head as she turned towards her class. “I’m not unbeatable,” she said. “Just because I won one fight doesn’t mean I’m at the top either. You should always try to learn from your opponent.”

“What did you learn from this fight?” Bernadetta asked from the back of the class.

“That’s a great question,” Byleth replied, glad to see the archer getting more comfortable with interacting with the class. “I was surprised by how quickly Shamir discarded her bow, but it makes sense in retrospect. If she had a sword, she may have gotten another shot off, but since she had a lance, she gave up that extra shot to go on the offensive before I could close.”

“Spot on, professor,” Shamir said from the side. “With your sword, I knew that if I let you get past my spear I was done for.”

“Well, with that done let’s have you all get back to sparring,” said the professor. As the student’s got back to their training, Byleth sat down next to Shamir.

“I’ll have your winnings for you by the end of tomorrow,” the knight said.

Byleth shook her head at that. “Don’t worry about it. The bout gave both my students and myself lessons we can learn from.”

“You really care about your students,” replied Shamir. “You make a good teacher. It helps that they care about you too.”

“Do you really think so?” Byleth asked, genuinely unsure. “I’ve never been the friendliest person.”

“You’re pretty stoic, that’s true.” Shamir looked up at the cathedral in the distance. “To be honest, I was surprised when you were suddenly made a teacher after your arrival. I’m glad it worked out though.”

“I was surprised too,” Byleth said in response.

“I’d be a bit suspicious if it happened to me,” the knight said. “But at least it seems to have worked out for you.”

“What would make you suspicious?” Byleth asked, trying to take advantage of this topic to learn about the knight’s thoughts regarding the Church.

“Well, they suddenly made this seemingly random person a teacher,” she answered. “It would have made sense if it was your dad, what with him being the former knight captain. But Lady Rhea knew almost nothing about you. Maybe she did it to keep your dad here.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” the professor lied, thinking back to her many searches into what was hidden within the monastery.

Shamir chuckled at that. “I thought you would have thought of everything. You definitely seem to always have a plan.” The knight looked Byleth up and down before continuing. “Sometimes I have a hard time believing you were a merc. I was one before I came here, but I could never pull off your whole tactician thing. I freeze up just meeting with nobles.”

Byleth thought about that for a second before deciding to see if she could dig a little deeper. “What made you become a mercenary?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t crossing a line.

“Grew up with nothing but too many siblings,” the knight answered, “so when I was old enough I joined up with a company. The pay was good enough and I met some decent people. I just always felt useless when I had to bow down to nobles. Being a knight is a much better job.”

“Just a job?” Byleth asked, curious about the wording. Most of the other knights she had talked to referred to being a knight like it was some duty or calling.

“Yeah. I don’t hold any stock in the Goddess or that kind of thing,” Shamir said calmly. “I only joined up to repay a debt to Rhea. She took me in when I needed help. Maybe we’ll end up working together on a mission at some point. Although if our fight was any indicator, you’ll run circles around me and the other knights.”

The two chatted for a bit longer while the students trained, trading stories of their mercenary days and other subjects while Byleth watched her students. Her thoughts kept going back to what Shamir had said however, about how her student’s cared for her. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve it, but she wasn’t going to make them regret it.

\--16 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As classes ended for the day, Edelgard found herself walking through the gardens, idling away the time until dinner. Usually she would busy herself with classwork or finalizing plans with Hubert, but today she found herself with neither. It was during this break that a certain brunette songstress called out to her.

“Oh Edie!” sang Dorothea as she approached. “I’ve been looking for you! How would you feel about joining me for some talk and tea? It’s been ages since we chatted.” As she said this she held up a basket that presumably held the tea.

Edelgard let a smile appear on her face, deciding to enjoy the free time she had stumbled into. “I’d enjoy that,” she replied. “Do you have somewhere you have tea or is anywhere fine?”

“Why not the overlook at the cathedral?” Dorothea suggested, walking over and looping her arm through Edelgard’s. She led the both of them across the bridge and soon she had sat them down on one of the benches, the tea between them.

As Dorothea poured the tea, the smell of Bergamot blend filled Edelgard’s nostrils. At this the thought of this being some sort of setup crossed the house leader’s mind. She knew that if Dorothea was going through all this effort, she either wanted to learn something from the princess, or she wanted to tease her. With that in mind, she decided to gain as much control of the situation as she could.

“So,” started Edelgard, “what did you want to talk about? You must have a subject in mind if you are trying to get on my good side with my favorite tea.“

“I don’t know what you mean, Edie. I just prepared a tea we both enjoy.” As she said this, Dorothea took a sip of her tea and a poorly hid look of displeasure flashed across her face. Edelgard drew her hand up to her mouth as she stifled a laugh, earning a glare from the songstress.

“Ok, so I may have planned this a little,” Dorothea said as she set the tea down. “But I do come bearing some information I know you would like. And I’m willing to part with it if you tell me all about your midnight adventure with the professor.”

Edelgard balked at that as she began sputtering out her defense. “I don’t… we didn’t… nothing inappropriate happened.”

“Oh come on, Edie,” said Dorothea slyly as she leaned forward. “You make this too easy. I didn’t even bring up the idea that anything ‘inappropriate’ was happening. But now that you mention it. You, your crush, a midnight stroll. I have it on good authority that you two looked absolutely jovial as you entered the monastery. So, what did you two do during your nocturnal misadventure?”

While Dorothea was teasing her, Edelgard was busy turning as red as her tights, trying and failing to even stammer out the semblance of a reply. Dorothea patiently waited, taking in the sight of the princess being lost for words.

After finally regaining her ability to speak, Edelgard began trying to defend herself. “It was simply two people who were unable to sleep going for a walk,” she finally replied. “She was heading back to her room when she noticed that I was still up, and we talked for a bit as we wandered the forest outside the monastery.”

The songstress looked intently at Edelgard as she spoke, trying to root out any lies that may have been mixed in. However, despite her intense gaze, she seemed satisfied with that answer. “Fine. I guess that since you held up your half of the bargain, I’ll hold up mine,” she said, reaching into the basket once again, this time pulling out a pair of pastries and handing one to Edelgard.

“What do you mean?” Edelgard asked as she accepted the treat, holding it but not bringing it any closer to her.

“I did say that I learned something about the subject of your infatuation,” Dorothea said, taking a bite of her pastry as she paused for a few seconds. “Aren’t you interested to know what I know? It wasn’t cheap to get. I had to trade one of my nicer books for it.” Dorothea took another bite out of her sweet as she watched Edelgard for any sign of giving in.

The imperial princess was torn. On one hand, she didn’t want to invade the professor’s privacy by learning something about the woman without it coming from her. But on the other hand, she knew that it almost certainly wasn’t on the same scale as what she already knew, and that it almost certainly related to romance knowing how Dorothea was teasing her.

She debated what to do for almost a minute before finally giving the songstress an answer. “Very well,” she started, trying to remain as calm as possible despite the racing of her heart. “Since you have already taken your due, I may as well benefit from it.”

Dorothea lit up at that, her hands clasping around Edelgards and bringing them between them. “That’s the spirit,” she exclaimed before switching to a quieter voice. “Now, what I learned is that there is someone who the professor fancies.” 

Edelgard’s heart sank at those words, but she forced her face to remain unmoving, hoping to hide her disappointment. However, she knew that she didn’t want to hear who Byleth was interested in. It would just serve to wound her already injured heart. “That’s all tha-” Edelgard tried to reply before being interrupted.

“I wasn’t done,” Dorothea chided. “The reasons that she hasn’t expressed her interest explicitly stems from a couple of issues. Firstly, the one she is interested in is a noble and the professor is just a commoner.”

Edelgard’s face distorted with dislike at that. “What house you come from should have no bearing on who you try to court,” Edelgard said sternly. “Byle- the professor should simply try anyways. If the person refuses her for such a idiotic reason they don’t deserve her.”

“I’m glad you agree, but there is more,” said the songstress. “Secondly, she is worried because the one she is interested in is a student. That could cause some issues if it got out.” At this Dorothea paused, as if waiting for Edelgard to give her input, which she quickly did.

“That isn’t that surprising, considering that she is the same age as the students.” Edelgard tried to think of who the professor had been spending time with recently, as they were most likely the one she was interested in. However, the professor had been getting to know all of the students rather equally.

At Edelgard’s words, a sly smirk appeared on Dorothea’s face before she continued once more. “Once again we are on the same page.” The songstress leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper as she spoke. “Plus a little risk adds to the romantic tension if you ask me.” Once she had said that, she returned to her previous posture and volume. “And finally, the professor doesn’t want to assume that her feelings are returned. However, you and I both know better, don’t we.”

“What do you mean, Dorothea?” asked Edelgard, confused about the last remark.

At that question, Dorothea looked at the princess with shock and surprise on her face. “You are truly useless,” she said. “Let me spell it out for you. The professor is interested in one Edelgard von Hresvelg.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Most of it was written over 24 hours, so it may be a little bit rough. But hey, new chapter, new characters, and new revelations. Although was it really a new revelation to us? As always, let me know what you think in the comments, even if you think it's awful. I can't get better without learning what I did wrong.


	15. Lessons in Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Rite of Rebirth draws nearer, several students are continuing to learn that while blind trust can lead to pain, putting your trust in nobody leads only to suffering.

\--16 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Edelgard had been laying in her bed for a few hours, sleep eluding her. She couldn’t stop replaying what Dorothea had said earlier in the day. The professor liked her? Romantically? It seemed so unbelievable, but in her heart she hoped it was true. To be honest, she had been interested in the woman since she met her, but didn’t expect it to lead to anything.

However, there was so much between them that got in the way. Not only was there the fact that Byleth was her professor, but they are also working with each other against the church. And that didn’t even approach the secrets that Edelgard was keeping from her. Byleth had exposed her own secrets, but there was still so much that the princess kept to herself. And that imbalance of trust ate at her. How could anything that was made while these lies stood between them last? And the worst part was that she couldn’t even talk to anyone about it. The only person who knew the extent of her secrets was Hubert, and she could already hear his response.

‘Lady Edelgard,” she imagined her life long companion saying, ‘ you have far more important tasks than trying to woo our professor.’

So that left two options. Either she told the professor those secrets that could ruin everything between them to Byleth, or she gave up on having that kind of relationship with her. And Edelgard knew that she was kidding herself if she thought she could choose the latter option. That meant that she had to figure out when to tell Byleth her secrets. But when and how? Those were questions that would have to be answered carefully. However, those questions would also have to wait as Edelgard tried to fall asleep one more time.

\--19 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Bernadetta--

The day started with Bernie building up the courage to knock on the professor’s door. Despite the professor being one of the people who they felt comfortable around, this still was challenging at best.

“Come on, Bernie,” they said to themselves. “The professor won’t get angry. She’s nice. Just tell her why you’re worried.”

With those words, Bernie reached a hand towards the door and rapt their knuckles against the wood quickly before pulling their arm back to their side. The door opened almost immediately, revealing the professor already dressed.

“Good morning,” she said to the archer. “How can I help you today, Bernie?”

Bernie sighed, glad to see that they weren’t waking the professor up. “Professor,” they said, “could you perhaps assign me to a different task?”

The professor gave her an inquisitive look before speaking. “Would you be willing to tell me why you want to be switched?”

“It’s nothing wrong with the work,” Bernie answered meekly. “It’s just that I would think it would be better if I work by myself.”

“Hmm” the professor hummed in thought. She took a bit to think about this, causing Bernie to start spiraling into mania.

“Oh Bernie, you’ve really done it this time,” they muttered. “The professor is going to force you to do some awful task as punishment. You’ve really messed it up this time.”

Seeing this, the professor spoke up, trying to snap Bernie out of it. “It’s ok, Bernie. I’m not going to punish you for this. Wanting to work alone isn’t a crime.”

Bernie relaxed a little at that, but was still on edge. “But I’m ruining all of your plans,” they said quietly.

“You aren’t, so it’s fine,” the professor replied. “However, I’m also not going to change the tasks around.”

“So you are punishing me!” exclaimed Bernie. “Oh, I knew it would end like this. I should have just stayed in my room.”

“Let me finish,” said the woman. “I’m going to join you and Ferdinand for an hour or so. If he does something that would hurt you, I’ll take care of it.” The professor looked at the archer for acknowledgement as she continued. “That’s going to be the plan, ok?”

Bernie calmed down once more as they nodded. “O-ok,” they replied.

“If that settles your concern,” the professor said, “then let’s head to the stables. We can get started if Ferdinand isn’t there yet.”

The professor closed her door and the two of them headed to the stables. Ferdinand was just arriving when they got there and was surprised to see the professor. Once he was caught up the three of them began taking care of the horses. The three of them worked for a couple of hours, during which time Bernie calmed down around Ferdinand. They could tell how much he cared for horses, and that made them more comfortable around him. However, that came to an end when the professor spoke up to get their attention.

“Things seem to be going well here,” she said, “so I’ll leave the rest to you.” As she said this, she turned and left, not seeing Bernie raise their hand as if to keep her from leaving. 

Bernie returned to tending the horses, hoping that Ferdinand would let them be. That turned out to be for naught however as the orange haired boy made his way over to the archer shortly after the professor left. For a while he simply worked on the same task as Bernie, but eventually he began speaking to them as they were grooming one of the horses.

“Bernadetta, I must say I did not expect you to be as calm as you are,” he said. “It is invigorating to see that you are growing more comfortable with others.”

Bernie was shocked to hear Ferdinand praise them. The last time he had talked to them about their dislike of being outside, he had seemed so angry. The change shocked Bernie into not responding, which prompted Ferdinand to continue talking.

“I’m sorry if I have offended you by bringing up this subject,” said the orange haired boy. “I was merely trying to congratulate you on your notable improvement. While I do not know the reason why you have these issues, it is brave for you to continue to face them.”

Although he kept rambling on, Bernie stopped understanding him around that point. They continued to simply stare at Ferdinand, trying to figure out why he was suddenly changing his attitude towards them. The last time that he had brought it up had started with him chastising them and ended with him injured. As Ferdinand finally started running out of words, Bernie finally spoke up.

“You aren’t mad at me?” they asked, surprise evident on their face.

As he heard them speak, his face gained a similar look of surprise. “Why would I be mad at you?” he asked in return. “Like I said, you are courageous for facing what you fear.”

“But I,” Bernie said, stumbling over their own words, “but I hurt you the last time we talked about it.”

“Yes,” Ferdinand began his answer, “but it was not a serious injury, and I was acting in a manner unbefitting a noble. I dare to say I deserved it.”

Bernie couldn’t stand him speaking about himself like that. “You shouldn’t say things like that about yourself,” they said. “And it wasn’t entirely your fault. I’m to blame, too.”

“That’s nonsense,” he immediately responded. “I was in the wrong for trying to make you do something that you did not wish to do. But despite my erroneous behaviour, I am glad to see you taking things at your own pace.”

Due to those words, Bernie placed her head against the horse they had been brushing before this conversation in an attempt to hide their face. “It’s because of you and everyone that I’m able to do it,” they said, slightly muffled by the animal in front of them. “When I mess up or something bad happens, it’s hard to go outside. But everyone is so fearless that it makes it a bit easier to see that one mistake doesn’t ruin everything.” With that Bernie buried her face more forcefully into the side of the horse to hide.

Ferdinand was able to understand that this was the end of getting anything out of the archer and began to head back to his previous task. Before he walked away however, he spoke up. “I’m glad that you are able to keep working at it. You are already much more outgoing than you used to be.” With that, the two of them continued in comfortable silence into the afternoon, completing their task with flying colors.

\--20 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

“I’ll be sure to come back for more lessons later,” Byleth said to Manuela as she walked out of the infirmary. While stepping into the hallway, she suddenly collided with something white, staggering into the doorframe. The blue haired woman regained her senses quickly and saw Lysithea on the ground rubbing her head.

“Is everything alright?” Manuela asked as she looked out the doorway.

Byleth responded to her as she started toward the fallen student. “I’m fine,” she said to Manuela before focusing her attention on Lysithea. “Are you alright?”

Lysithea looked up at the professor as she spoke. “I’m fine. I guess this is one way of finding you.” At this Byleth offered the student a hand up, which she took and was pulled up. “Are you free to talk? I feel like the last conversation we had ended prematurely.”

At that request, Byleth nodded in response. “Sure,” the professor replied. “Do you have somewhere you want to talk? I know the last time we talked about some sensitive topics.”

“I don’t,” Lysithea said cautiously, “but I am hoping that you know of some place that is sufficiently private.”

Byleth thought of the tea shop that Edelgard had taken her to. “I know of a place.”

The two of them headed into town, arriving at the secluded cafe. When they walked in, Byleth requested a private room for them. Once they were inside, Lysithea began to speak.

“Last time we talked in depth,” she started, “you mentioned you suffered because of the nobles and the church. What did you mean by that?”

Byleth sat down and reached for a menu as she replied. “My father was with the church before I was born. He left after my mother died in childbirth and Lady Rhea gave him a baby with no heartbeat and a scar along it’s chest. My father set a fire and ran, taking the child with him. To this day we don’t know what was done between the child being born and my father seeing them for the first time. It’s part of why we decided to stay at the monastery.”

As she finished speaking, Byleth looked at Lysithea and saw an expression of horror on her face. “That child is you, isn’t it?” she asked. “But why would you tell me this so readily?”

“Because I’m deciding to put my trust in you,” Byleth answered. “When I first got here, I was so used to keeping my secrets locked up that even those I had been around for years only had a partial picture of me. But since becoming a professor and meeting all of the kind people here, I’ve started realizing that I don’t really get anything from keeping everything to myself. And I don’t want to live a life like that any more. I want to be me.” When Byleth stopped talking, she waited for the student in front of her to respond, hoping she would understand.

Lysithea sat across from the professor, staring at her while seemingly stunned. “I… I didn’t expect that response. Most people think that I am just some child who has a knack for magic, if you can call my two crests a knack. They treat me like I need help with everything, not like an equal. So you have my thanks for treating me like an equal.” At this Lysithea went quiet. Byleth let her proceed at her own pace, thinking of her own time with Edelgard. After a few minutes of gathering her thoughts, the white haired girl continued. “When I was younger, my house fell under the control of some mages from the Empire. These mages had skin so pale it was almost as if they were deathly ill. They… they captured and imprisoned the children of the house while our parents could do nothing but watch, horrified at both their inability to act and the nature of the experiments that were being done.” Lysithea shuddered as she spoke, as if recalling these memories caused her to recoil. “I watched all of the other children die one by one until I was the only one left. After that I don’t know how many days passed, but one day I woke with my hair and eyes as they are now. The mages were ecstatic at this. They said it meant that I now had two crests, which is where my ‘knack’ for magic comes from. Those weren’t the only changes however. In addition to my appearance and the two crests, they also said that my lifespan was significantly shorter. Based on what they said, I have ten more years at most, possibly less.”   
  


With this said, Lysithea set her eyes on the professor, a fierce, icy rage in them. “All of that suffering was caused just for a crest to be given to someone who didn’t want it,” she said. “If you are working to end that suffering, then I will work with you for as long as I have left.”

“I’m glad to have your support,” Byleth said, a somber smile on her face. “And I promise that I will do all I can to prevent what happened to you from happening again.” With that the two of them moved on to more mundane but happier conversation, ordering tea and sweets to go with it. But Byleth’s thoughts were a cacaphony of rage at the horrible things that had happened to someone, especially for such a idiotic reason as power. One particular part of Lysithea’s history made her think of a certain house leader who had a similar appearance and a similar tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter sure has a wide variety of emotions. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, and as always, let me know what you like or hate about the chapter. I'm up for compliments and criticism.


	16. Victories of Hand and Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen as the Rite of Rebirth begins and the intruders sneak in to claim their spoils?

\--26 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

The information that Lonato had provided proved to be correct, giving the Black Eagles the advantage against the thieves in the Holy Mausoleum. They had been able to take down the majority of the thieves with no hassle, but the mounted knight in the middle of the chamber was the current problem. It had been less than a minute and Byleth had required Sothis’s power several times already.

“How did they even get a horse down here!” Sothis exclaimed as she rewound time once more.

“Now’s not the time for questions,” Byleth whispered through gritted teeth as she circled a pillar to buy some time to think. The magic weapon he had was the biggest issue. It somehow allowed him to retaliate from any distance, meaning that she couldn’t even use the little magic she knew. And since it was magic, her normal resistance to weapons was useless.

“You are the first person in quite a while to last this long,” the knight said, joy in his voice. “But you are starting to bore me with your running.”

Byleth looked around and saw her students finishing up the last of the other fighters, but as she did that she heard the mage at the coffin yell about it only taking a bit longer. “Time for bad ideas,” she muttered, seeing a horrified expression cross Sothis’s face.

“NO!” the spirit shouted. “Now is not the time for bad ideas! Think you imbecile!”

As Sothis spoke, Byleth continued around the pillar as fast as she could and charged at the rider. The knight turned in his saddle to face her, and as he raised his scythe, she dropped to her knees in a slide, slipping under the blade and continuing under the horse. As she flew under the horse, she grabbed the saddle strap and her momentum carried her up around the horse, snapping the strap, spinning the saddle around the middle of the horse, and throwing the knight to the ground with a clattering thud. When she came to the top of the horse, she fell down onto the knight and drove her sword into his arm, pinning it to the floor.

Without any pain in his voice, the masked knight spoke. “You’ve impressed me, but unfortunately our time is cut short. I look forward to fighting you again.” As he finished, dark magic surrounded him and his mount. Before Byleth could react, both had vanished. Byleth took a second to breathe, but was immediately alerted to the enemy mage exclaiming loudly.

“A-ha!” they yelled. “You’ve failed to keep us from our goal,” he said as the stone casket opened with an echoing crack. Byleth got to her feet and sprinted towards him as he reached into the casket. “What is this?” he said with a surprised tone while he withdrew a strange sword as Byleth reached him. He turned around to see the professor as she knocked the sword out of his hand and into the air. As it fell back down she caught it and immediately felt something she couldn’t quite place from it.

Both she and the mage recovered their composure at the same time with the mage gathering fire in their hand and launching it at Byleth. As if on instinct, Byleth swung the sword at the magical blast, causing it to disperse. The mage seemed shocked by this, having expected it to do something to the blue haired woman. Byleth took advantage of that and charged the mage, cutting him down. With the situation handled, she turned to look out at her students, seeing them battered but all able to move on their own. Suddenly the sound of armored footsteps came from the entrance, drawing everyone’s attention as they expected some new threat. However, they were able to relax when they saw Catherine and the Knights of Serios. With allies on the scene, Byleth sat down on the ground, finally able to breathe after the challenging fight she had just gone through.

\--26 th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

During the battle, Edelgard had finally decided that she was going to tell Byleth her secrets, but then she had immediately been called upon by the archbishop. So now hours after the battle in the Holy Mausoleum, she still has not been able to ask the professor for some time when she can talk with her in private. Now she was just waiting in her room, looking out the window for any sign of the steel-blue haired woman. As she was looking out over the pond, a knock at her door startled her. She went to the door and as she opened it saw the very woman she had been keeping an eye out for.

“Edelgard,” Byleth said, a faint smile on her face. “I’m glad to see that you’re alright. I’ve been going around and checking up on everyone. I’m also letting them know that we aren’t in trouble.”

“I’m relieved that you are alright as well, professor,” replied Edelgard. It was as she said this that she noticed the strange sword from the mausoleum hanging at Byleth’s side. “You were allowed to keep the sword?” she asked, surprised that something found in the memorial to the goddess was just being given to a professor.

“I was surprised as well,” answered the professor. “Apparently it’s a holy relic known as the Sword of the Creator. I’m not really sure why Lady Rhea let me keep it. Seteth seemed to be very against it.”

“That’s very strange indeed, considering that Seteth is her main advisor.” Edelgard was interested as to the archbishop’s decision, but she could feel her conviction to talk to Byleth slipping, so she decided to change the subject. “Professor, do you have time to talk with me in private?”

Byleth seemed jarred by this sudden change of topic, but adjusted quickly. “How private?” she asked.

“It is not unlike the beginning of the month,” Edelgard answered, causing Byleth to raise an eyebrow. “So as private as possible.”

“How about we do the same thing then?” suggested Byleth. At that Edelgard nodded in confirmation. “Well, I’ll see you then,” the professor replied, turning and leaving after that.

Now that the meeting was planned, Edelgard felt both relieved and even more nervous. She knew that there was nothing to do but wait, but that didn’t leave her any less anxious.

Over the next few hours, the imperial princess kept going over in her head what she would say to Byleth, trying to figure out how she would react to the information she was going to learn. Edelgard kept at it for so long that she didn’t even realize that it was nearing midnight until there was a knock on her door. As she opened it, she saw the professor in a dark cloak.

“Are you ready to go?” Byleth asked, giving Edelgard a quick once over.

“I am,” she replied.

As she finished giving her answer, Byleth pulled out a bundle of cloth, which she unfolded to reveal a cloak almost identical to her own. “Then put this on,” she said as she handed it to the princess. “I told the gatekeeper that we would be going out to search for any stragglers from the group of intruders, so we need to look stealthy.”

Edelgard threw on the cloak as she spoke. “Lead the way, professor.”

The two of them made their way into town, with Byleth greeting the gatekeeper as they passed. As they travelled through the town, Edelgard realized just how quiet it was with no one about. There would usually be at least a few people on the main thoroughfare, but tonight it was empty save for a few knights here and there.

“Byleth, do you know why the town seems so… abandoned?” she asked, wondering if the professor had any insight.

Byleth looked to her student as she began to speak. “Lady Rhea had the mayor issue a request for the townspeople to stay inside while the knights searched for anyone linked to the Western Church. The only reason why we’re allowed out is because of my status as a professor.”

Edelgard wished that she was surprised, but with what the Western Church had done, she knew the response would be dramatic. That also explains how it was so easy for the professor to get them out of the monastery under the guise of searching for any remaining members.

For the rest of the trip through the town, the two were silent, blending in with the stilled atmosphere of the town. The only interruption was when they were stopped by a group of knights, but Byleth fed them her excuse and they let them continue on. As they entered the forest, Edelgard felt the tension drain out of her. She didn’t know if it was because there were no longer knights patrolling regularly or if it was relief from getting to finally tell Byleth the secrets that still created the wall between them. Before she knew it they were back in the clearing where Byleth had laid out her secrets.

Once again, the moonlight illuminated the two of them as if it was casting a gentle light onto the dark of their secrets. 

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Byleth asked with kind curiosity in her eyes.

Edelgard took in a deep breath to gather herself before she began. “The people who broke into the Holy Mausoleum. I know who they are. Or at least who put them up to it.”

Byleth’s expression shifted from curious to surprise but she didn’t speak, instead choosing to let Edelgard continue.

“They’re a group who have a history of pulling the strings of major tragedies to get what they want. I don’t know their actual name, only a moniker. Those Who Slither In The Dark. I know of them because I work with them.”

At this Byleth’s surprise shifted to actual shock, and she spoke up. “What do you mean, work for? Is this some part of your plan to get rid of crests? Or is it something else?”

Edelgard could tell that despite trying not to, she had put Byleth on edge. Logically she knew that she had to choose her words carefully. That a single mistake could end the trust between them. But she chose to do the opposite. To just get everything out there and let Byleth make a decision. If she still had the professor’s trust after that, then she would consider it a victory. “It’s more like I am under their thumb. It started many years ago, when I was 12. My siblings and I were subjected to… experiments, although a more apt word would be torture. For over a year, I watched as my siblings succumbed to madness or exhaustion, unable to hold out against the agony that they were being put through. To this day I have little recollection of what happened before the torture began, and what I can recall is mostly hazy.”

As she said this, she realized that her hand was wrapped around the hilt of her dagger. She let go of it and looked at her listener. Byleth’s face was stoic, but her eyes and body language told another story. Her cornflower gaze looked as if it could light fire to whatever it fell upon with the fury burning in it, and her entire body was tense, like a branch pulled back to near it’s snapping point and ready to whip forwards. Whether because she wouldn’t or couldn’t, Byleth didn’t speak, so Edelgard continued.

“In the end, however, I was the only one who survived, and the only one who the experiments were successful on. That was when I learned what all of the death and suffering was for. I was to become their puppet. To have my strings pulled and to dance to their tune. But in exchange for that I was  _ gifted _ a second crest, the Crest of Flames. And so they got their puppet. Their weapon. And I got cheated out of my childhood. Robbed of my family and my memories. And so I have to bow down to them, play the role of the good little soldier, until the day I can rid myself of their control.” 

When Edelgard focused on Byleth once more, having lost herself in her words, she saw that the woman was shaking with anger, but now tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. “Why…” she said quietly, her voice shaking as much as her body. “Why would anyone subject someone to that hell? Why would they subject YOU to that hell?” As Byleth said this, the tears began to flow from her eyes. “So many people suffered just so that those monsters could get what they wanted!”

“Byleth, I -” Edelgard started before Byleth cut her off as she continued her emotion fueled response. As the professor spoke, Edelgard saw changes happening to her that were concerning. Byleth’s pupils had changed from circles to slits, and scales had begun to creep along her skin.

“And how?” Byleth asked with a shaky voice. As she continued, her gaze focused on Edelgard, her cornflower eyes filled with rage and sorrow. “How could anyone let this happen? How could people just stand by knowing what is going on?”

Edelgard could see how this was breaking Byleth, stretching something until it eventually snaps. She knew that she had to calm her down somehow. “Byleth,” she said, trying to get through to the professor. “Byleth, listen to me. It’s awful. That is something no one can deny.” As she spoke, Edelgard reached for Byleth’s face, caressing her cheeks and wiping at the tears that were running down. “But that doesn’t mean they will get away with it.” Edelgard kept brushing away tears as Byleth slowly calmed down, closing her eyes. “I don’t plan on letting them win. So long as someone is fighting against them, they haven’t gotten away with it.”

They simply stood there for a while, with Edelgard holding Byleth as she got her emotions back under her control. As she finally put herself together, the professor sighed, leaning into Edelgard’s palm.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Byleth said, opening her eyes and looking at Edelgard. “Not just right now, but that you survived that hell. Although you being here now helped too.”

With the professor gazing at her and leaning into her hand, Edelgard started blushing at the intimacy of the situation. It reminded her of the reason why she had told the professor about her secrets. “There is something I want to ask you about,” Edelgard said to the professor, gently pulling her hands back from Byleth’s face. “I told you about how I have to work with these… monsters because I didn’t want that secret to get between us. My reason for that is I want to tell you something else.” Edelgard could feel her nerves trying to get the better of her, so she closed her eyes and decided to just get the words out before she could stop. “I feared my feelings would be unrequited, but I was told that you feel similarly about me as I feel about you. That is to say, I am… interested in you. In a romantic manner.”

When Edelgard finished letting the words flow from her, she opened her eyes and saw the professor standing before her with a shocked look on her face. In that instant she knew that she had been wrong. The professor didn’t feel that way about her. After a few seconds however, Byleth shook off some of the shocked expression and spoke.

“You like me?” she asked quietly, her eyes still puffy from the previous tears. “Despite what I am?”

Edelgard’s attention snapped back to Byleth at that remark. “That is what I said,” she answered, her voice still holding a bit of the tremor from her confession. “As for what you are, I guess that just means we match, doesn’t it. Two experiments who found each-”. Before Edelgard could finish, Byleth had launched herself at the woman, wrapping her arms tightly around the princess in the moonlight lit clearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! They finally talk about stuff! And I bet some of you were expecting a kiss, but these two are so useless that it won't happen for a while longer. Anyways, let me know what you think in the comments, whether you liked it or hated it or find a typo. Until next time, I hope y'all are staying safe in this crazy time we live in.


	17. Doubts and Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Byleth and Edelgard continue their talk in the forest, more comes to the surface, not all of it good. What will come from their midnight rendezvous?

\--26th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As she stood with her arms wrapped around Edelgard, Byleth was still processing that the silver haired princess was attracted to her. People had been interested in her before, but it had only ever ended with it being nothing more than a quick fling or with them calling her a freak for one reason or another. To have someone know her, actually know her, and still want to be with her was new. New, but not at all unwanted.

“I take it this means you feel the same way,” Edelgard said into Byleth’s neck.

“Oh,” the professor said, realizing Edelgard was right. “I do. To be honest, I didn’t think you felt the same way either. No one ever has, really.”

Edelgard pulled herself away from Byleth, looking at her in confusion. “Really? But how? You’re kind, you’re skilled, you’re attractive.” As she listed off these traits she smiles at her, but gets a bittersweet smile in return.

“Most people I’ve met would disagree,” Byleth responded. “They either don’t like me because of my body, or because I killed for a living. And I understand why those people think that.” Edelgard looked shocked at what the professor said, and as Byleth saw her expression, she continued. “I hated my own body for years before I changed it, and even after that change I still have… parts of me I don’t like. It also means that I don’t fit most people’s idea of a woman.” When Byleth said this, she took a step back from Edelgard and her gaze dropped to the ground, almost as if she felt unworthy of the affection she was being given. 

“If it was just that, though,” the professor said before Edelgard could interrupt, “maybe I would be worth the effort. Like you, I have a bloody past. The difference is I’m the one who’s been spilling it.” Byleth couldn’t bring herself to meet Edelgard’s eyes as she spoke, thinking of how little she deserved her. “I was… I was six when I first killed a person. Although killed is probably too nice of a word. I saw my dad injured and just, nothing mattered besides getting rid of the people who hurt him. It was a slaughter. I literally tore them to pieces. The mercenaries who saw it happen wouldn’t even stay in the same room as me for weeks, if they stayed with the company at all.” Finally, Byleth raised her head, showing her tear-stained face to Edelgard. “They called me a monster, and they were right. Killing comes so easily to me. And I hate it.”

Whereas Edelgard had looked shocked before, her expression was livid now. “You are NOT a monster!” Edelgard said in a commanding tone while stepping into Byleth’s space. “I have met monsters. They don’t regret their actions. They don’t care what others think of them. Monsters simply do what they want, regardless of how it affects others. You do care though. You go out of your way to make sure people are taken care of.” Edelgard’s voice lost its controlling tone and her expression softened as she spoke. “It’s part of why I fell for you. You do so much just to make sure that nobody suffers. You search out those who have been hurt and give your all to comfort them. The mercenaries who called you a monster were wrong. They couldn’t see that regardless of what you are, you act because you care and you are kind.” 

Byleth looked at Edelgard, shocked at her words and the fervor with which they were delivered. The words of the silver haired girl made her realize that only two people had said similar things to her before: her father and Sothis. This pushed Byleth to wrap her arms around Edelgard once again, pulling her tight to her chest. “I’m still not sure what I am, but I’m glad that you’re so sure I’m not a monster,” she said.

“Finally, someone gets it through your thick skull,” Sothis chimed in sarcastically as she popped into view. “I know that I’m a disembodied spirit living in your head, but I would have thought that my opinion meant something.”

Byleth heard her lifelong companion and made a decision that she knew would earn her a chewing out. “Since we’re airing out our secrets, I have to tell you something,” the professor said to Edelgard while staring at Sothis. As the green haired spirit registered what Byleth was doing she began yelling at her, but was quickly tuned out. “First, I don’t have a heartbeat. Second, I have a person in my head who lets me manipulate time.”

Edelgard pulled herself back from Byleth to look at her with a look of disbelief on her face. “How are either of those possible?”

“How is turning into a giant winged lizard possible?” Byleth retorted, doing her best to ignore Sothis’s . “But I can prove both of them. Just listen.” As she said this, Byleth brought Edelgard’s head down to her chest, just over where her heart would be.

After a few seconds, Edelgard muttered her surprise to the silence in Byleth’s chest. “If that’s true, then how are you going to prove the other revelation?” she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of wariness.

Byleth thought for a second before an idea came to her mind. “Think of something you would know but I wouldn’t,” she said to Edelgard as she let go of her and took a step back.

“Very well,” Edelgard replied. After a few seconds of contemplation she spoke again. “I have something in mind.”

“Now tell it to me,” Byleth said, earning an incredulous look from Edelgard. “Just trust me.”

Edelgard let out a sigh before she relented. “When working for Those Who Slither, I use the persona of the Flame Emperor. Now, how are you going to prove this fantastical ability?”

As Edelgard spoke, Byleth reached for the ‘strings’ of time in her mind, and pulled them back, rewinding time to before she asked Edelgard for her secret.

“I have something in mind,” Edelgard said as time resumed it’s normal flow.

“Your secret is that you have a persona known as the Flame Emperor when you work with Those Who Slither,” Byleth said, immediately putting a baffled look on Edelgard’s face.

“How did you know?” the princess asked, looking at Byleth for an answer.

“You told me, and then I turned back time,” Byleth replied. “It’s because of Sothis, the girl in my head.” As those words left her mouth, Byleth tilted her head. “That sounds so strange to say out loud.”

Edelgard perked up at that explanation. “I’ve heard the name Sothis before,” she explained. “I overheard you and your father talking about it. Her. This is a bit confusing, I will admit.”

“I think most people would think this is more than a bit confusing,” Byleth replied, her tone conveying the joking nature of her retort.

“Good thing we aren’t most people,” Edelgard said, a similar quality in her voice. The both of them laughed at this, but Byleth was distracted by a certain green haired girl.

“OK!” Sothis all but yelled. “Is today the day that having both of us in your head fried your brain? You’ve just told this girl, who adMITTED TO WORKING WITH A SHADOWY ORGANIZATION, ALL OF YOUR DEEPEST, DARKEST SECRETS?!”

Byleth turned to Sothis, causing Edelgard to give her a look. “It’s about trust, Sothis,” the professor said. “We’ve talked about this. I’m tired of hiding. Of keeping everything secret.”

Sothis threw her head back in exasperation as she replied. “Ugh! I know, I know! You’ve just been so… unpredictable since we got to the monastery. I’m in your head and I don’t know what you’re going to do half the time.”

Byleth let out a faintly embarrassed chuckle at Sothis’s words. “I’ll try to be better about including you in my plans,” she said before turning to see a very confused Edelgard. “Sothis is angry that I keep telling you things without warning her.”

“She’s also very calm about all _this_ ,” Sothis said as she gestured vaguely at Byleth. “That’s a bit weird, but it is like you to like the weird ones.”

Byleth glared at Sothis, but had to admit that it was a good point. “You’re taking all of these secrets almost scarily well,” she said to Edelgard. “I guess I’m just not that strange,” she laughed.

“No, this is definitely odd,” Edelgard replied. “I’ve just seen things that are far beyond ‘normal’. We’re a real pair in that regard.”

“We really are, aren’t we?” chuckled Byleth as she looked up to the sky and let out a sigh. “We should probably start heading back. If we stay out here too long, someone may come looking for us.”

A faint pout popped onto Edelgards face, causing Byleth’s heart to clench. “While I wish we could stay here for longer,” Edelgard said, “I agree that we need to keep suspicion off of us.” She turned around and began walking to the edge of the clearing. As she got to the trees, she looked over her shoulder at Byleth and saw that she had not moved. “Are you coming, professor?” she asked. Byleth snapped out of her stupor and jogged over to Edelgard, walking alongside her back to the monastery. 

\-- 27th of the Blue Sea Moon, 1180, Rhea -- 

As the light of dawn crested the horizon, Rhea was looking out over the monastery. Despite the stunning view in front of her, all she could think of was the attack from yesterday.

‘If _they_ are moving once more, we need to be prepared,’ Rhea thought. ‘Thankfully, if it is _them_ , my own plans are coming to fruition.’

At this moment a knock sounded from her door, drawing her attention. Rhea turned around and headed to the source of the sound, opening the door to see a knight.

“Lady Rhea,” they greeted. “Here is the list of all entries and exits through the main gate, as requested.” With this they handed over a roll of paper wrapped in a simple piece of twine. “If that is all, Archbishop, then I’ll take my leave.”

“I have nothing else I need,” Rhea replied, a faint smile on her face. The knight gave a bow at this and headed in the direction they came. The archbishop closed the door and unwrapped the roll. As she began combing through them, she noticed a pair of unexpected names on the lists.

‘Professor,’ she mused, ‘once is understandable, but twice is suspicious. I’ll have to have a talk with her.’ Rhea spent the next few minutes going over the logs, searching for anything that was out of place aside from the ones she had already noticed. When she was satisfied that the only anomalies had been the professor and house leader, she moved onto her other tasks. By the time that she had headed down to the audience chamber, the sun had fully risen and she could hear the bustle of people in the halls.

“Lady Rhea,” called Seteth as he entered the room, “I have given your words some thought, and I still take issue with the fact that Professor Eisner was allowed to keep the Sword of the Creator. I cannot think of anything that would indicate sufficient trustworthiness for her to be given such an important relic.”

Rhea let out a sigh at her advisor’s complaint. “Seteth,” she said, trying to put on a tolerant voice, “As I said yesterday, she is able to use it without the crest stone. That indicates that she is more than just a mercenary. I would like to see how this develops.”

This didn’t placate Seteth, however. “And for the sake of your curiosity you’re alright with letting her use a weapon made from our-”. As he was speaking, Rhea’s fist slammed down on the top of the desk, causing the advisor to jump as he went silent.

“That is enough,” Rhea said with a icy, draconian tone in her words. “Do not bring this up again, Seteth.” As soon as she realized what had must happened, she dropped her eyes down to her desk. “Just… please don’t bring it up again.”

Seteth looked physically shaken at the sudden change in demeanor of the archbishop. He took a few seconds to recompose himself before he spoke again. “Very well. Is there anything else you need of me for the moment?”

Rhea raised her head to return her gaze to Seteth. “No,” she answered. “There’s nothing else.” With that the advisor turned and left. When he was no longer in the room, Rhea let out a sigh, knowing that today was just going to be one of those days she regretted getting out of bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit shorter than usual, but that's because the happier tone of the next few segments don't fit with the serious talk we have here. On the plus side, we get to check in on many of the other students and see how they're doing next chapter. As always, feel free to leave your comments and criticism. I read all of them and respond to most of them.


	18. Important Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth is trying to get used to her strange new weapon, but stranger, and sometimes wonderful, things are in her future.

\--3rd of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

While most of the monastery was waking up for the day, the sound of exertion could be heard coming from the training grounds. Inside was Byleth, finishing her practice forms with the Sword of the Creator. She put the sword against the dummy she was using and stared at it. It felt so different from any blade, or really any weapon, she had used before. It was familiar and foreign at the same time, feeling warm in her hands but sending a chill through her bones.

“I see you are still trying to get used to that… thing,” Sothis said, leering at the relic. She had been so adamantly against using it, convinced that there was something off with relics as a whole.

Byleth didn’t entirely disagree either. She had noticed it first with Catherine’s Thunderbrand, but hadn’t been able to pin down the feeling. Once she had her hands on one though, she knew what it was immediately. It was as if the sword was alive in her hands. It responded to her very thoughts, and she could feel it as if it was an extension of her.

“I am,” Byleth said, picking up the blade and walking to the center of the sparring ring. “If I didn’t use it, people may get suspicious.” She began spinning the blade around her and with little more than a whim it began separating, snaking through the air. Byleth was getting a feel for how the blade flowed when suddenly someone started speaking.

“Professor,” a calm tone began, “you seem to be taking the trust I put in you by letting you keep the sword seriously.” Byleth turned to see the archbishop standing a safe distance from her. “How are you taking to the new weapon?” she asked, walking towards Byleth as the professor let the blade return to it’s normal form.

“It’s taking a bit to get used to,” Byleth admitted. “I’ve never had such a… strange weapon before.”

Rhea seemed intrigued by this, a faint light igniting in her eyes. “Oh? What do you mean by that?” she asked, interested in the professor’s opinion.

Byleth paused for a moment, thinking of how to phrase her feelings about the blade. “It’s like it’s an extension of me,” she said, trying to gauge the archbishop’s reaction. “But at the same time, the sword gives me a strange chill. Like I shouldn’t be able to hold it.”

The archbishop’s face gave off a look of interested confusion. “I’ve never heard anyone describe weilding a holy relic like that,” she explained. “Although, the Sword of the Creator is different, even among the gifts of the Goddess. That it is different from the others could be due to that.”

“How is it different?” asked Byleth. “You said it was more powerful, but this doesn’t seem like it’s because of that.”

“The sword you wield was the first relic gifted by the Goddess,” Rhea began explaining. “It was given to the King of Liberation to aid in the protection of the people of Fodlan. It was also the only weapon given directly by the Goddess. All of the other Holy Weapons came from the Saints. Your ability to wield the Sword of the Creator shows just how strong your connection to the Goddess is.” As the archbishop spoke, she looked at the sky. “Unfortunately, I was merely passing by and have other duties I must attend to this morning. If you wish to learn more about this, however, I would be happy to lend you my time later.” With that, Rhea turned and began heading out of the training grounds. But as she opened the door, she paused and looked over her shoulder. “I haven’t thanked you for your additional service the night of the attempted theft, so know that you have my gratitude,” the archbishop said with a soft smile. “But you should know that if you wish to bring students with you on future excursions, permission is generally required.”

Byleth went stiff at those words, thankful for her unusually stoic expression. She watched the archbishop leave and waited a few minutes more before she turned to Sothis. “That meant what I think it meant, right?” she asked.

“I think so?” replied Sothis, unsure herself. “But the real question is how much does she know? Does she know about your relationship? Or about your transformation?”

Byleth started clearing up the training area, trying to think of what else Rhea could know. Does she know that Byleth is the child from all those years ago? Does she know that her father is the one who started that fire? All the way through breakfast, Byleth was distracted trying to think of all the things Rhea might know. She was brought back to reality as she went to her room, suddenly hearing someone calling to her.

“Professor Eisner!” Byleth heard a voice call out, turning towards the direction it came from to see Ingrid Galatea hurrying towards her. “Professor, I’m glad I was able to catch you. I have a request to make of you, if you don’t mind.”

“What do you need, Miss Galatea?” asked Byleth, curious about the Blue Lion’s request.

“It’s about your class’s mission,” the blonde girl answered. “Dorothea told me about it at breakfast, and I want to join you for it. I’m willing to show you that I won’t be a liability in combat if you would like.”

Byleth looked at Ingrid for a few seconds before she asked her a question. “Why do you want to go with us? As far as I have been told, the only thing out of the ordinary is that a relic was stolen.”

“It’s the leader of the group,” Ingrid said after a bit of hesitation. “He’s Sylvain’s brother, Miklan. Miklan hated and abused Sylvain because he was born without a crest, meaning that he was disallowed from being the heir of House Gautier.” Ingrid paused, a frustrated scowl on her face. “I want to make sure that Miklan doesn’t get out of whatever punishment he has coming.”

Byleth was surprised that Ingrid’s motivation was vengeance. In the few interactions they had shared, she had seemed to idolize knights and their chivalry. “You need to be careful about that,” Byleth chided. “I’ve seen quite a few people lose themselves to their desire for revenge. But if you think that you can keep that under control, then I’ll allow you to come with us.”

“I’ll be sure to not let you down, professor,” replied Ingrid. “Just let me know when we are heading out.” With that taken care of, the student walked back in the direction she came from, leaving Byleth alone once more.

“You know,” Sothis said, popping into view and reminding Byleth she was never truly alone, “that chat with the Galatea girl made me think of something. Do you think Rhea knows about you and Edelgard?”

Byleth stared at the green haired girl for a bit before she responded. “Oh fuck,” she muttered under her breath.

\--5th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

The imperial princess and her retainer entered the Black Eagles classroom noticing that the usually prompt professor was absent. There wasn’t even a hastily scrawled note on the board. The two of them looked at each other, but Edelgard simply shrugged and went to her seat. Her other classmates started filing in, taking their seats as they saw that the professor was absent. The students were generally well behaved for a while, but as they continued waiting, it quickly became much more social, with Caspar, Dorothea, and Petra starting to talk among themselves while Linhardt slept and Bernadetta kept to herself in the back.

It was almost 15 minutes after class was meant to start when the professor walked in, although walking may have been a bit of a stretch. What she did was closer to lumbering in, carrying an inordinate amount of books, stacked so tall that how she navigated to the room was a mystery in itself. She slowly made her way to the front of the class, all of the students awestruck by the sight of their professor carrying a literal tower of books. Once she was at the front, she dropped the books onto the desk with a thundering thump and quickly turned around.

“Sorry for being late everyone,” the professor said matter of factly, as if she hadn’t just walked in carrying several people worth of weight in books. “I had to gather some things for what I have planned today. Which is about magic.”

Caspar let out a quiet groan, but it turned out to not be quiet enough as the professor responded immediately.

“No need to be disappointed,” she stated, looking at where the blue haired boy was sitting. “There’s more to magic in combat than just casting it. In order to better defend against it, you need to understand it, just like any weapon. Which is what these books are for.”

Edelgard had to admit that she was a bit confused at this. “Do you mean that we are to read all those books?” she asked.

The professor shook her head as she gave her answer. “Not all of them. I’ve got them depending on interest in magic and skill level. So it’s split between the class.”

At this, Edelgard looked at the tower of books and realized that it would still be over 10 books each if it was split evenly. The professor started sorting out the books into multiple piles, and sure enough even the smallest had 10 books. “Professor, I don’t want to unduly criticize you, but that is still quite the number of books for each of us,” Edelgard said as the professor continued sorting books.

“It’s fine,” said Byleth. “It’ll be useful for the practical exam I’m going to give you all at the end of the month.” The professor stopped what she was doing for a few seconds before she turned to the students. “Also, there will be a practical exam at the end of the semester,” she said before returning to the sorting. After a minute more of confusion, Byleth finally finished sorting the books, stepping back and looking over her work. “Alright, everyone come up and I’ll tell you which stack is yours.”

The class silently made their way up to the class, either nonplussed by the professor’s actions or too shocked by the calm absurdity of them to react. Once everyone had their books, Byleth began her lecture in earnest, covering the differences between faith and reason based magic and the more common spells in each category. By the time the class was over, Edelgard could tell that even the people who used magic regularly were overwhelmed by the sudden depth of information the professor had provided.

“Well, that’s all I have for today,” said Byleth as she finished the class. “I suggest that you all get started on your material sooner rather than later, and you’re all dismissed, although I need to discuss some things with Miss Hresvelg.” With that the students made their way slowly out of the room, save for Edelgard, who closed the door behind them to give Byleth and herself some privacy.

“What did you want to discuss, Professor?” asked Edelgard as she walked back to the front of the room.

“Lady Rhea knows that we went out into the forest a week ago,” Byleth answered. “I don’t know what else she knows, but it’s at least that much.”

“Oh,” the house leader said, unsure of how much she should react. “I think if she knew about my plans it would be a bit more obvious. But does she know about you? Or our relationship?”

Byleth leaned against her desk and looked to her right, focusing on something Edelgard couldn’t see. “Sothis and I don’t think she knows about that last one, but just to be safe I’m going to meet with her to try and get some insight into what she knows. Also, we should talk about… us and what we are.”

Those last words worried Edelgard. Did Byleth regret expressing her feelings? “Do you not want to be in a relationship?” she asked, a hint of fear slipping in her voice.

“No! I mean, yes!” stammered Byleth. “I just want to get a better understanding of it. We didn’t really talk about it much, and I don’t have much experience with this kind of thing.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” replied Edelgard, “but I’m in a similar situation. Being the only heir to the empire while also working in the shadows hasn’t given me much time for romance.”

Byleth let out a quiet laugh at that. “We keep learning just how much of a pair we are, don’t we?” she said. “Something my dad told me was that if you’re with someone ‘who isn’t willing to slow down for you, then they don’t want you for you’. So how about we just tell each other when things are moving too quickly?”

“That sounds like a great suggestion,” Edelgard agreed. “If we do that though, we need to know where each of us draws the line currently. So what is your limit?” Edelgard said with a smirk and a wink.

The white haired student got the desired reaction as Byleth became flustered, trying to form a reply and failing. The steel-blue haired woman took a few seconds to compose herself before trying to speak again, succeeding this time. “That’s a pretty good place to start,” she answered, lowering her head in embarrassment. With her head lowered, she muttered something that Edelgard couldn’t quite hear.

“What was that?” Edelgard asked, hoping she hadn’t already pushed Byleth out of her comfort zone.

Byleth repeated herself, this time barely loud enough to be heard. “I said kissing is nice too, though.”

This time it was Edelgard’s turn to flush, suddenly overwhelmed by the images that came to mind. Byleth saw this and as her cornflower eyes went wide she started backpedalling. “We don’t have to though! I’m fine with waiting if you aren’t comfortable with that!”

Hearing the professor worry that she had made Edelgard uncomfortable brought her back to the moment, and she decided once again that she would be bold. She strode up to Byleth and wrapped her hands around the woman’s face, pulling her into an assertive kiss. Despite her initial tenseness, Byleth very quickly relaxed into the kiss, raising her hands and running her fingers through Edelgard’s hair. This, combined with the soft warmth of Byleth’s lips and the faint pressure against her own as Byleth’s tongue pressed against them trying to get in, caused Edelgard to moan softly into the kiss. Her moan pulled her back to reality and she pulled back from the taller woman, seeing her slowly open her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I think we should stop there for the moment,” Edelgard explained to her still recovering partner. “I don’t think the classroom is the best place to do this.”

Byleth looked around and focused her darkened eyes on Edelgard before she spoke. “You’re right. This definitely isn’t the best place. If we get caught it would be disastrous,” she agreed as she disentangled her fingers from Edelgard’s soft locks. “We’ll have to find somewhere out of the way before we do this again.”

“I agree,” Edelgard said, taking a step back and trying to calm herself down. “I’m glad we are both on the same page, but I should get going. We don’t want to attract too much suspicion.”

“Right, right,” muttered Byleth, still disoriented apparently. A sense of pride swelled within Edelgard as she saw just how much of an effect she had on Byleth. They both packed up their things quickly, Edelgard finishing first.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,  _ professor _ ,” she said as she walked towards the door, dragging out the last word just long enough to cause Byleth to pause. Before the other woman could respond, she was out the door and on her way back to her room, hoping that she didn’t run into anyone who would see the faint blush dusting her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I've once again established Edelgard as the bold one. Maybe Byleth will show her dominant side someday. But until that day, feel free to let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments. I like your reactions. They sustain me.


	19. Worries of Plans Gone Awry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeralt is finally brought up to speed about what has been going on in Byleth's life, and Byleth begins her plan to get information out of the archbishop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the astute may have noticed that while this is an update, the number of chapters didn't change. That's because I moved the side stories to their own work to keep things organized. There will still be plenty of the things from those works in the main fic, but I want to use the other one for the smaller scenes that pop into my head. Also, sorry this chapter took so long to get out. The first part was really easy, but the second scene just wouldn't come together in a way I liked.
> 
> Also also, if you're wondering about my other story, Of Cleats and Coffeeshops, it's not dead or anything like that. I still have plenty I want to write for that, but this story has been burning holes in my mind with all the ideas I have for it. But hopefully in the next few weeks I should have an update out for that. Now, onto the new chapter!

\--8th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Jeralt--

Jeralt was both glad and worried for his daughter as she described what had happened in the past two weeks. He hadn’t expected Byleth to form connections with her students so quickly, but was glad to hear her talk about them with such pride. He did have to admit that he wasn’t the biggest fan of how quickly she was sharing her secrets with the house leader. It wasn’t that he expected her to go around telling Byleth’s secrets, seeing as she had shared just as many of hers. No, Jeralt was worried that Edelgard would end up hurting his daughter. Byleth had rushed into this relationship, and while it made her happy, she didn’t have much experience with that kind of stuff. 

“Are you even paying attention?” Byleth asked, snapping the knight captain out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, it’s just a lot to take in,” Jeralt said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’ve definitely been busy since we last talked. I’m glad though. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this happy, kid.”

Byleth stared at him, her expression giving Jeralt the idea that she didn’t quite believe him. “I feel like you aren’t saying everything you want to say,” she chided. “You can speak your mind. I’m not a little kid anymore.” Byleth looked to her side as something, almost certainly Sothis, drew her attention. “I am not!” she exclaimed to the empty space. “Look, fighting that knight was an exception.” At this Byleth turned towards the knight and asked him a question he wasn’t expecting. “I’m usually cautious, right?”

Jeralt didn’t respond immediately, earning a slack jawed look from his daughter. “I mean, you aren’t the most reckless person I can think of…”

“Betrayed by my own family…” Byleth muttered under her breath. “I see how it is.”

“Well, lets ignore that for now,” Jeralt said, trying to get back to the previous topic. “I’m just a bit worried that you’re moving fast. Even if she doesn’t mean to, the Hresvelg girl could still hurt you accidentally. You’ve known her for a few months and already she knows all your secrets.”

The knight captain immediately regretted his choice of words when he saw his daughter shrink in on herself. “I know,” she muttered. “It’s just that for once in my life I’ve found someone who doesn’t run away when they find out about me. Who doesn’t see me as some freak for one of the many things that make me different.”

“And I’m glad that you found that,” Jeralt replied, trying to reassure his daughter. “I don’t want you to settle for anyone who thinks that about you. We’re just all in a volatile situation, Hresvelg included.” With that he reached out and put his hand on Byleth’s knee, hoping it would help bring her mood back up. “I’m not telling, or even asking, that you stop this thing you two have. I’m just suggesting that you have to be careful. Especially with the interest Rhea has taken in you since the whole Holy Mausoleum thing.”

“I’ll do my best,” Byleth said half-heartedly. “I mean, I don’t want to lose any of the things I’ve gained since coming here.” A smile finally appeared on her face again, but the two of them were distracted as the ring of a bell chimed out the time. “I have to go!” Byleth said with a startled tone. “I promised to train with Felix before dinner.” At that the professor stood up and started out the door but stopped just after she opened it, turning back to her father. “Thanks for the talk, dad. Love you.” Before Jeralt could reply, she was out of sight and her steps could be heard disappearing down the hall.

The knight captain took a moment to bask in the happiness those few words gave him before he gathered up his things and headed out on his own. He made his way out to the courtyard, heading towards the pond for a bit of fishing before dinner when he saw the subject of his daughter’s affection coming out of the dormitories. For just a second he contemplated what most people would consider a rash decision before he decided to go ahead with it, making a bee-line for the white haired girl.

As he got within a few feet, he spoke up to get her attention. “Just who I wanted to find,” he began, thankfully not startling her. “Miss Hresvelg, do you have a bit of time to talk?”

“Ah, Captain Eisner,” she replied, turning towards him as she did so. “I have a bit of time. What do you need to talk about?”

“Oh, I’m just curious as to what you think about my daughter,” Jeralt said, enjoying just a little how the noble’s practiced smile faltered just a little. “How about we talk while I do a bit of fishing?”

\--9th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Rhea--

The archbishop was at her desk as noon came around, writing letters in hopes of settling some trivial disputes when she was interrupted by the sound of a knock against the door frame.

“What is it now, Seteth?” Rhea asked, not looking up from her work.

A voice that distinctly was not Seteth replied “It’s not Seteth, just me.”

Rhea looked up to see Byleth standing just outside of the room. “My apologies,” she said, putting away her quill. “How can I help you, professor?”

Byleth stepped fully into the room as she began to speak. “I’m wondering if I can take you up on your offer to learn more about the Goddess and the Relics,” the blue haired woman stated. “I was thinking maybe over tea?” As she said this, Byleth held up a small basket with a metal kettle sticking out.

“That sounds wonderful,” Rhea answered. “Have a seat while I put away my work.” As Byleth took a seat on the couch, Rhea pondered what brought the professor to her so quickly. She had expected Byleth to take her up on the offer eventually, but she had thought the former mercenary would have been less willing to meet with her, especially given Jeralt’s disposition towards her. Did the professor truly just want to learn more about the church, or did she have some ulterior motive?

Even with all she knew about the blue haired Eisner, Rhea still had many questions. When Byleth had first arrived at Garreg Mach, the archbishop had suspected that she was the child from all those years ago. She looked far too similar to Sitri to ignore the possibility, despite the fact she remembered the child being born as a boy. That was something that she had seen change before, however. And her suspicions were confirmed in the Holy Tomb and shortly after, with both the Sword of the Creator and Hanneman’s realization that Byleth’s crest was the Crest of Flames.

With this information, Rhea knew that she could confront the professor. But would that drive them away once more? Despite now knowing the truth, she had to plan her next steps even more carefully. If they fled, Rhea would not know if Byleth is a proper vessel, but even worse she may lose her mother’s crest stone. It would be far safer to let Byleth come to her at her own pace. Unfortunately, if Rhea did that the Agarthans may act again before her plan is ready.

Once the archbishop finished putting away the last of the papers, she asked a question of the sitting professor. “Do you have somewhere in mind for tea, or may I suggest a place?”

Byleth looked at her, standing up when she noticed that the desk was now clear. “I was going to just use the courtyard near the dining hall,” she answered. “If you have somewhere else, we can go there instead though.”

“I do know of a place,” Rhea said, walking around from behind her desk. “There’s a small patio on the third floor of this building with a wonderful view of the monastery. We can take tea there.”

The professor nodded and picked up her basket, following Rhea out of the office and audience chamber. The two women headed up the stairs to the left and out onto the aforementioned patio. Byleth took a second to take in the view before putting down the basket on a small table off to the side. Rhea took a seat as Byleth pulled out the kettle and teapot.

“Do you have a tea preference?” Byleth asked as she finished setting out the pieces of the tea set.

“Angelica is my prefered blend, if you have it,” Rhea answered. The professor reached into her basket and pulled out a large wooden box. When she opened it, the scent of a medley of teas filled the air around them. Inside, Rhea could see many different compartments, each with a small label burned into the wood. “That’s a wonderful assortment of tea, professor.”

Byleth kept looking through the different blends as she responded. “Thank you. Ferdinand gave it to me after I told him I had started trying different teas.” She paused for a second, pulling out a scoop of tea, and putting it into a steeper. “He wanted me to find the one I like the most, but I’m a little afraid he’ll judge me when he finds out my favorite so far is ginger tea.”

“Your students seem to be quite enamored with you,” Rhea remarked. As she said this, Byleth froze for a fraction of a second, but just long enough to be noticable.

“To be honest,” Byleth began her reply, “I’m still not used to it. When I was travelling as a mercenary, everyone was like family but I was one of the young ones. I’m still not used to having people look up to me.” After she said this, the professor sat down, letting the tea steep in the pot.

As Byleth sat down, Rhea couldn’t help but chuckle, earning a look from the blue haired woman. “I’m sorry,” Rhea said as she composed herself. “It’s just that your father said something similar to me many years ago after I made him captain of the Knights for the first time. It’s quite remarkable how similar you two are despite looking so different from each other.”

“What was he like?” Byleth asked, her full attention on the archbishop. “My dad, I mean. He doesn’t really talk about his life before being a mercenary.”

Rhea looked at the professor, noticing the reserved expression on her face. It seemed like Byleth truly just wanted to learn more about her father, although she seemed to think that she wasn’t allowed to ask. “Jeralt is many things, but when I knew him better, he was above all kind,” the archbishop answered, thinking back through the decades. “He was always willing to help, even if the way he tried to do it wasn’t always the easiest to understand. Alois is an example of that. Who would simply take on a squire who they know nothing about to get them off the street? He just kept telling everyone that he chose him because Alois looked like his previous squire.” As she was talking Byleth started to pour tea before sliding a cup towards the archbishop. “Ah, thank you,” Rhea said as she took a sip of the tea. “I’m sure you have more pressing questions for me than letting me reminisce. So please, tell me what you want to talk about?”

Byleth took a sip of tea, trying her best to hide her dislike of this blend and not quite succeeding. “I’m curious about what you meant when you said that being able to wield the Sword of the Creator was a sign of my strong connection to the goddess,” she said when her mouth was empty. “What did you mean by that?”

The archbishop pondered this question for a few seconds before she spoke up. “The Sword of the Creator has only been wielded once before. It was wielded by Nemesis, who had the Goddess’s blood flowing through him. But even with that, he still needed the crest stone to use it to its full potential. You don’t need it, however. The only reason that I can think of which allows for that is that you have the blood of the Goddess flowing through your veins. The difference is that it is more potent within you.” Rhea knew for certain that this was the reason, but she also knew that if she spoke in absolutes she may very well be showing her hand. “The King of Liberation was said to achieve superhuman feats, far beyond what even those with the purest of other crests could do. Perhaps in time you can learn how to do such things without the need for an emergency like what happened at the Red Canyon.”

When Rhea looked at Byleth as she said this, the professor seemed to be deep in thought. For a minute or so nothing was said between the two of them, leaving them in a comfortable silence. Byelth was the one to break the silence, still looking like she was thinking of what to say. “I suppose it would be easier to protect people,” she replied unenthusiastically. “But I don’t really care for power just to be powerful.” After she spoke, Byleth paused before looking at Rhea directly. “But I am curious about the Red Canyon. What’s the significance of it?”

“It’s where the Goddess resided when she was in Fodlan,” Rhea answered. She hadn’t expected the professor to ask about Zanado, but she took it as a good sign. If it was holding her interest, perhaps Byleth was a proper vessel. “This was centuries ago, however. The goddess hasn’t physically resided in Fodlan in a long time, choosing instead to watch over us.” The archbishop stopped to take a sip of tea, continuing with a question of her own. “What piqued your interest about the Red Canyon? Surely it was more than just my bringing it up?”

The professor didn’t respond immediately, and from her faint expression Rhea could surmise that she was trying to decide what to say. The archbishop hoped that the professor’s reason for asking was related to the presence of the Sothis within her. Everything pointed to Byleth being a suitable vessel for her mother, and the idea of finally succeeding after all this time made Rhea almost giddy.

  
“It just felt… familiar,” the blue haired woman said, having finally decided on what to say. “Like I had been there before. It felt bittersweet.”

As the professor spoke, Rhea was barely able to contain her excitement. This was exactly what she had hoped for, now sure that Byleth was a true vessel of Sothis. “Perhaps it is your connection to the Goddess,” Rhea suggested, maintaining a calm tone. “Stories have told of Sothis communicating with those who have her favor.”

If the professor stumbled at the mention of her students, she fully froze in shock now. Byleth looked as if she had seen a ghost, which was not the reaction the archbishop was expecting. “What did you just say?” she asked, her voice sounding shaky.

“I said that the Goddess has been said to communicate with those who have her favor,” Rhea answered. “Or did you mean Sothis? It’s the true name of the Goddess. Although most people simply know her by her title.”

“Ah,” Byleth said, still recovering from the reveal of the Goddess’s name.

The two sat in a tense silence for a while longer before Rhea gave the professor an out. “This was a wonderful experience, but I must be getting back to my work.” With that Byleth quickly packed up the tea and followed the archbishop back to the entrance to the audience hall. “Please, don’t hesitate to invite me to tea again,” Rhea said. “Even if you don’t have any questions you want answered, I would still enjoy your company.” In response Byleth simply nodded as she turned and walked away.

Once the professor was down the stairs, the archbishop spoke to herself under her breath. “Today has gotten much better,” before heading back to the work she had left earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. We have more Jeralt being a soft dad, which I don't think I'll ever get enough of, and Rhea begins to see just how much she can glean from Byleth, which turns out to be quite a bit. Who would have thought having a millennia of experience would give you an edge? Like always, if you want to let me know what you think about this chapter or the work in general, good or bad, I always adore your comments. Other than that, have fun and I hope you keep enjoying my work.


	20. To The Red Canyon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth begins to react to what she has learned and in doing so worries those close to her. But when those who trust and care about her try to catch up, just what will they find?

\--9th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth didn’t really know where she was heading as she walked away from the archbishop’s audience chamber. She was simply letting her feet take her wherever they went as her mind raced with this new information. Sothis had been silent since Rhea had revealed the name of the Goddess, and Byleth wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. She could understand the silence though. When the two of them had been forced to come here, they decided to look into what they are, but the first and only lead they get suggests that Sothis is the Goddess. Nothing could have prepared them for that revelation, but the more Byleth thought about it the more sense it made. Ever since they had met, Sothis had been able to do amazing things and Byleth had been able to transform. 

That brought up a new question though. If Sothis is the Goddess, then what is Byleth? She isn’t human now, but was she ever? Or was she born like this? All she knew for sure was that she was alone now. For the first time in 15 years, she was truly alone. As she came to this realization, the world started to shrink in on her, and before she knew it, she felt like she was walking on the bottom of the ocean, unable to see or hear. 

For how long she was like that, she didn’t know, but eventually the world around her slowly came back into focus. The first thing she noticed was a light pressure around her hand. She began focusing on that pressure, and slowly the mire her senses were in began to clear away. The first thing that she noticed was that the pressure around her hand was some else’s hands grasping her own. The next thing Byleth became aware of was the sound of someone talking next to her, but the words were too muffled to make out. As she strained to focus on the words, they became clearer and she recognized the voices as Lysithea and Manuela. They seemed to be making idle chat beside her. 

Byleth tried to open her eyes, but it felt like her eyelids were made of lead. Despite the immense effort it took, Byleth was able to finally open her eyes, and she saw the ceiling above her. It was then that she realized that she was lying down. She looked towards the voices and saw Lysithea holding her hand next to her. Byleth started trying to sit up, failing and immediately drawing the attention of the two women.

“Professor!” Lysithea exclaimed, startled by the sudden movement. “Professor Casagranda! She’s awake!” As she said this, she turned to the Golden Deer professor.

“Well well well,” Manuela said, walking to the other side of the bed Byleth was in. “You gave us quite a scare, Miss Eisner. Miss Ordelia found you staring into nothingness at the greenhouse. Even when she tried to get your attention, you didn’t respond.”

“Thankfully you were able to be led,” Lysithea interrupted, “so I grabbed your hand and took you to Professor Casagranda. She examined you and said that we just needed to wait, because there wasn’t anything physically wrong.”

Byleth began to speak, her voice quieter than she expected. “How long was I out?” she asked, trying once again to sit up, this time getting help from Manuela.

“A little over an hour,” the physician responded. “Since there wasn’t anything obviously wrong with you, I decided to let you come out of it on your own. Lysithea said you mentioned having panic attacks in the past, so I thought it might be one of those.”

“It was,” Byleth answered sheepishly. “Do you mind if I lay here for a while? I’m still pretty tired.”

“Of course,” Manuela said. “Even if you didn’t I would recommend taking it easy. I’ll be here doing paperwork for a while longer. They never tell you how much paperwork goes into keeping an entire organization healthy.”

Byleth nodded her thanks and laid back on the bed.

“I’ll let you get some rest as well, professor,” said Lysithea. “I’m glad you’re doing better now. And if you want to talk about it, let me know.” With the student moved to leave the infirmary, and the other professor began working on the aforementioned paperwork. In the now quiet infirmary, Byleth began to realize just how tired she was, quickly falling asleep.

“I’m sorry,” Sothis’s familiar but muffled voice called out repentantly as the familiar stone throne faded into view. “I panicked. Whatever I expected to find here, it wasn’t what the archbishop told us.”

As Byleth got a look at the girl, she saw that Sothis was in just as bad a way as she was. Her green haired companion had her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees. The blue haired woman realized that Sothis had gotten the same shock as she had, but Byleth had others around to help her.

“It’s not your fault,” she said, walking up the stairs to the throne. “I think we both know by now that we didn’t chose to be like this.” With these words, Byleth sat down on the throne next to Sothis, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. “I should have been here for you,” she said, her voice carrying the same regretful tone. “I didn’t think about how you would react either. We both made that mistake. But we’re here for each other now. Plus, it can’t hurt to be best friends with the Goddess, right?” As she said those last few words a blithe tone crept into Byleth’s voice in an attempt to lighten the mood.

At Byleth’s attempt at humor, Sothis let out a dissatisfied laugh. “I’m glad at least one of us is entertained by this,” she said, lifting her head from her knees with a faint smile on her face. The two simply sat there for a while before Sothis spoke again. “There is something that we need to do,” she said as she looked at Byleth. “We need to go back to the Red Canyon. I thought it was just passingly familiar when we were there, but with what the archbishop said there has to be more to it.”

Byleth nodded in agreement with Sothis as she replied. “We should go sooner rather than later. The only two leads we have are Rhea and Red Canyon, and I don’t want to deal with the first one right now.”

“How soon can we leave?” Sothis asked, doing better than earlier but still reserved. “I don’t want to inconvenience you, but I feel like this is important for both of us.”

Byleth took a second to think about this question. They could leave tomorrow, but it would likely take more than a day to search for any answers they might find, and that isn’t even accounting for travel. However, there also wasn’t much to be done this week in regards to her class. She had already given them work for this month, and they wouldn’t likely be called on their mission so soon after being told the thieves were still on the run. With this in mind, she laid out her opinion. “We could let the student’s know that class is off for a week and take that time to investigate Red Canyon. If we don’t let anyone know where we’re going, we can hopefully keep Rhea off our trail.”

“Wouldn’t that draw suspicion because of you suddenly leaving?” Sothis asked, doubtful of this plan. “Rhea might suspect something if you suddenly disappear.”

“I don’t think that there’s a way to not have her suspect me,” Byleth admitted. “She’s been in control of every interaction we’ve had. But if we can find something, we might be able to learn something that gives us an edge. Or at least some answers.”

“Only if you want to,” Sothis said, trying once more to make sure Byleth wasn’t doing this just because of her. “I’ve already been an inconvenience to you. I don’t want to put you out more.”

Byleth looked at her sister-figure with a look of confusion on her face. “You aren’t an inconvenience,” she assured. “You’ve done so much for me. Without you my father would be dead and at best I would be living a life as a broken mercenary. So even if I didn’t want to know what answers are out there, I would still do this.”

“Thank you,” Sothis muttered as she leaned into Byleth’s side, wrapping her arms around the taller woman.

\--10th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Hubert--

To say that Hubert didn’t trust the professor would be both an understatement and an oversimplification. The professor was too much of an enigma for the retainer to have any assurance in her motives. It didn’t help that his investigation had slowed considerably since Captain Eisner had informed him of the ‘potential consequences’ that came from continuing to dig into the professor’s past. This did not mean that Hubert thought of the blue haired woman as an enemy. He saw how Lady Edelgard acted around her, and knew that the professor had earned her trust, but he was still unable to think of her as an ally. However, if the professor did join their cause, she would be a powerful soldier.

That required making sure that she wouldn’t turn against them though, which is part of what led to the current situation. Upon learning that the professor was suddenly suspending classes and leaving for a while, Hubert got in contact with one of his people and had them follow the professor. By the time breakfast had finished the next day, he knew that she had headed towards the Red Canyon, raising his suspicions even further.

This information became useful when Lady Edelgard learned about the professor’s incident in the infirmary yesterday from Lysithea and Leonie, both of whom were looking for the professor. At this she gathered up the Black Eagles and convinced the class, along with the two Golden Deer, to join her on a search for the professor. Hubert was honestly shocked at how little convincing the other students took, especially with the mention of going to the Red Canyon. But his surprise mattered little and now the group of students found themselves entering the aforementioned canyon as the sun began its descent towards the horizon.

“Petra, can you take the lead and try to track the professor?” Edelgard asked. “I believe she may be close to where our first mission with her took place. She mentioned the ruins in that area caught her interest back then.”

“Of course,” the tanned princess said, immediately setting to her task. Before they could begin their search in earnest a deep rumble shook the ground,followed by an ear piercing roar echoing down the canyon.

“W-w-what was that?!” Bernadetta shrieked, cowering behind a now wide eyed Linhardt. 

Before anyone could answer that question, a commanding tone got the student’s attention. “Everyone,” Edelgard yelled, “ready your weapons and follow me!” As she spoke she hefted her axe and started running down the canyon towards the source of the sound. 

Hubert followed after immediately and heard the rest of the students following as well. As the students ran down the canyon, more roaring could be heard and the ground shook intermittently. The cacophony of animalistic cries and reverberating shakes grew stronger the deeper in the students got, until it was almost painfully loud. Edelgard slowed at a sharp turn in the canyon, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was creating such inhuman noises. As soon as she peered around the corner however she lost all sense of hesitation and sprinted out of sight.

“Lady Edelgard!” Hubert exclaimed, trying to follow but coming to an immediate halt as he saw what his liege was running towards. Littered on the rocky ground were the corpses of several monstrous wolves and vultures, which, while by itself was terrifying, seemed paltry to the focus of the scene in front of him. Beyond several monsters that were still able to fight was a creature that he had never seen. It had armor-like scales the color of fangs in the night, down which ran lines of green blood from wounds that were scattered around the beast’s body and large, leathery wings extended its back. It’s blood coated teeth and claws seemed razor sharp, slicing through the monsters’ flesh like a butcher’s knife through a fresh carcass. But what caused most of the fear Hubert was feeling was it’s eyes. Even from this distance, he could tell that there was an intelligence within them. Whatever this savage predator was, it wasn’t driven purely by instinct.

A flash of red snapped Hubert out of his fear-induced stupor, causing him to remember why he was here in the first place. He looked at the battle, quickly locating Edelgard and starting to catch up. As he charged towards the white haired princess, he saw one of the monstrous wolves break off from the rest, barreling towards Edelgard. At this distance he knew that he wouldn’t be able to ready and launch a spell, cursing himself for letting himself be unbalanced by the sight of the mysterious beast. All he could do was shout out and hope that his liege would be able to protect herself.

“Lady Edelgard, look out!” he shouted, glad when Edelgard turned in response. His hope quickly shattered as he saw the pale-scaled beast turn towards the princess at his words and launch itself towards her, seemingly unfazed by the attacks the other monsters landed on it as it flew past. He watched in horror, trying to ready a spell to aid Edelgard as quickly as he could, as the winged terror closed on Edelgard, coiling around her and blocking any line of sight. He saw the wolf monster slam into the side of the beast, ripping into the scales and earning a pained roar.

‘Good,’ Hubert thought, hoping that the beast would suffer for any pain it caused to the imperial princess. He launched his now ready spell at the beast, watching the creature recoil as the dark magic dug into it.

The creature uncoiled itself a little, Hubert catching its gaze for a split second as it turned towards the wolf that was next to it. The scaled-beast cut into the wolf with a powerful swipe of it’s claws, causing it to back off. Slowly it stood up, facing the monsters it had run past. This movement revealed the house leader, unharmed and readying her axe. Once the beast had fully risen, Edelgard charged the closest monster, laying out the wounded animal with a single heavy attack.

As she pulled her weapon out of the now dead wolf, Edelgard called out to the other students. “Quickly! Attack the beasts!” she yelled, trying to rally the still stunned students. It somewhat works as Hubert hears the students behind him shuffling forwards, but could feel the hesitation in their steps.

“What are we waiting for?” Hubert asks the students as he turns to face them. “Lady Edelgard needs our help!” the black haired retainer said as he bound towards the battle. He was about to throw another spell at the monster that had been wrapped around Edelgard when he heard a shout calling out from ahead of him.

“Everyone, ignore the scaled one!” Edelgard yelled over the din of combat. “Ranged attackers pick off the birds before they can engage! Everyone else keeps the wolves from closing on them.” At these defined commands, the students fully entered the fray. With a unified effort the monsters went down relatively quickly, most of them already injured from their fight with the scaled-beast. 

Speaking of that creature, it had fallen back behind the line now formed by the students, slumped over on the ground from it’s wounds. Even from this distance he could tell that it was still breathing however, albeit laboriously. As soon as the last monsters were down, Edelgard ran towards the beast, calling out to the healers as she went.

“Linhardt! Dorothea! Lysithea!” she shouted as she closed the distance. “Get over here now!” Edelgard stopped next to the beast’s head, and as Hubert closed the distance to her he heard her talking to it. “You have to shift back. Your injuries look really bad, and I don’t think they’ll know how to heal you like this. Trust them. They came here because they worry for you.”

Hubert didn’t have time to process those words as a green light enveloped the beast, causing him to shield his eyes. As the light faded and his eyes adjusted the mage was shocked by what he saw. Next to Edelgard, where the beast’s head had been, was now the professor, littered with wounds and covered in the same green blood. Hubert looked back to the other students to see that they were seemingly just as shocked as he was.

“Don’t just stand there!” Edelgard cried out to the students. “Get over here and heal her!” The panic in her voice snapped the students into action, with the three who could use white magic rushing over and setting to work.

The canyon was eerily silent as the students healed their professor, obviously having many questions on their minds but not knowing how or where to start. All Hubert could think of as he watched the scene before him was that this certainly explained some of the secrecy around the former mercenary.

\--11th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth woke from a dreamless slumber suddenly, her body instinctively shooting upright only to fall back down as pain swept through her. She let out a groan at the wave of agony and immediately she heard sounds of shuffling. Opening her eyes she saw the canopy she had brought with her above, and as she turned her head Byleth saw what appeared to be her class sitting around a fire, every pair of eyes on her. Before she could do anything however she was approached by Linhardt, who knelt down beside her and started casting a spell.

As she felt the healing magic ease her pain, she saw Sothis floating behind the green haired healer. “It’s about time you woke up,” she said with a pout. “Do you know how worried I’ve been? And that’s not even beginning to include the fact that now all of your student’s know about you.”

When Sothis said this, the memories of last night rushed clearly back to her mind. The sudden realization of what she had done prompted her to thrash against Linhardt, trying to put some distance between herself and anyone else for fear of how they would treat her. As she unconsciously acted, Byleth struck out at Linhardt, and even in her weakened state it was enough to knock the unsuspecting student off balance. This got all of the others to their feet immediately, some of them rushing to the fallen healer or heading towards the injured woman. This only made the panic within Byleth grow stronger, causing her to try to stand. She was almost on her feet when an authoritative voice garnered everyone’s attention.

“Stop what you’re doing!” Edelgard shouted, drawing all eyes to her. “Give the professor space. She’s probably still unsure of where she is. Let her get her bearings.” All of the students that had moved towards her shuffled backwards a step or two, most turning back to their professor. At this the panic within Byleth began to dwindle, causing the strength to leave her legs as she fell back to the ground.

“Calm yourself,” Sothis cood, trying to soothe the woman’s flustered mind. “Remember what Edelgard said. Trust your students. They came here to help.”

As Byleth got a better look at her mental companion she noticed just how much worry her expression held. Taking a deep breath, she answered the floating girl. “You’re right,” she mumbled with a quiet tone before raising her voice to speak with the students around her. “I’m sorry. You tried to help and I lashed out.”

It looked like Edelgard was about to respond when Linhard broke the silence. “It’s quite alright,” he stated matter of factly. “I’m sorry for startling you. I thought you were still asleep. Usually someone in your state doesn’t wake up for a day or more, even with magic.”

“Yes,” Petra chimed in. “You put us in quite the scare when we saw how much injury you have.”

At Linhardt’s words, Byleth looked down at herself. She was covered in wrappings whose obvious purpose was to keep her held together. Her injuries must have been truly severe if even with three healers they were unable to fully mend her wounds.

Dorothea was the next to pipe up. “Even our unflappable Edelgard was beside herself with worry!” As she said this, Dorothea looked at the house head with a smirk, earning a glare in return.

The rest of the students began speaking up as well, voicing their worry for the professor’s health. This quickly turned into a slurry of voices and unintelligible words. Before it could go on for too long however, Hubert gathered everyone’s attention with a quick cough.

“I know that everyone is glad to see the professor awake,” he began, “but there are some questions that need to be answered. Namely, what happened yesterday.”

“I don’t think she needs to explain anything,” a voice called from the back of the group. Between the students Byleth could barely make out Lysithea as the white haired girl spoke. “If it was truly necessary, Professor Eisner would have done it by now.”

Despite the intent of those words they dug at Byleth’s guilt, causing her to think of just how much she kept from her students. They trust her, so it was only fair that she returned that trust. “It’s alright, Lysithea,” Byleth said. “All of you worked to save me, a few answers is the least you deserve.” She turned her head towards Hubert next, directing her words at him. “Could I get some help into a more comfortable position first? And perhaps something to eat?”

At the professor’s request the students closest to her jumped into action, with Caspar and Ferdinand awkwardly helping her up and carrying her back to the bedroll she had been on before. Once she was settled, leaning against her pack to keep her upright, Bernadetta arrived with some still warm porridge. “This is all we have right now,” she muttered quietly. “I hope it’s alright.”

“It’s perfect,” Byleth said as she accepted the bowl. 

“So you’re just going to give away all your secrets?” Sothis asked, although the look on her face gave away her lack of shock. “I suppose that this is a reasonable path to take. To leave their questions unanswered would just invite more digging.”

The only response Byleth gave was taking a few small spoonfuls of porridge before setting the bowl down beside her. “What do you want to ask?” the professor asked the students before her.

Hubert was unsurprisingly the first to speak up. “What are you?” he asked, wasting no time.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” she said, earning a look of disbelief from Hubert. “Really. It’s part of why I decided to stay at the monastery. I was born there, and the archbishop did something to me when I was a baby. My father used a fire as cover to get me away without suspicion, faking my death. I’m hoping to learn just what happened.”

Hubert didn’t seem quite satisfied, but as he was thinking up what to ask next Linhardt chimed in. “That does explain some things I noticed while healing you,” he said, earning looks of confusion from most everyone. He saw the looks he was getting and began to elaborate further. “Well obviously there’s the green blood, which was quite surprising on its own. There was also the lack of a heartbeat and the scar in the center of your chest. It looked far older than any other scars, so it would make sense that you got it when you were a baby.” 

“Wait, you don’t have a heartbeat, professor?” Ferdinand shakily asked, voicing the surprise that the students seemed to share based on their expressions.

“I don’t,” Byleth responded honestly. “It scared me a little when I first heard my dad’s. I thought there was something wrong with him.” As she said this, a smile crept onto her face. Her happy memory was interrupted by another question being asked.

“How strong are you?” Caspar asked, earning a light-hearted sigh from Dorothea. “I mean, you can turn into a giant lizard! You have to be really strong, right?”

“I take offense at that!” Sothis exclaimed loudly. “You turn into a giant lizard with WINGS!”

Byleth began to shake with laughter at Caspar and Sothis’s words. “Oh, that hurts,” she managed to say as her laughter died down, the movement having stretched her wounds. “I didn’t expect that kind of question. I don’t have an exact answer, since I’ve never tested myself like that, but when I leapt across the gap to reach your group on our mission here, that was purely physical.”

The students looked shocked at that answer, but Caspar immediately broke them out of that with his response. “THAT’S AMAZING!” he yelled. “We need to see how strong you are! How far can you throw a rock? How much can you lift? Can you bend a sword? Can you throw me?” As he finished asking these questions, several of the other students let out laughter at his enthusiasm. Leonie however was stoically standing there, looking at Byleth with a thoughtful expression.

“That’s why the training weapon didn’t hurt you,” she said, getting strange looks from those who heard her muttering. “When we were training and I accidentally hit you in the knee, you shrugged it off, saying you just reacted quickly enough to deflect it. But you didn’t, did you? That’s why the lance was damaged.”

This question drew extra attention from some of the students, namely Caspar and Hubert, although Byleth suspected their interest was for different reasons. “That’s right,” Byleth answered. “I’m pretty durable. I can take hits that would take down most people, and most non-magical weapons can’t get through my scales at all.” Byleth paused, gesturing to her wounds before she continued. “Monsters are more than capable though, as you all saw.”

The subject of the professor’s wounds turned the mood a bit more dour, the fact that Byleth had almost died brought back to the forefront of the student’s minds. Hubert used this pause in conversation to ask another question. “Do you know anything about what was done to you by the archbishop?”

Byleth looked at Edelgard for a second before giving her answer, hoping that what she was going to say wouldn’t drastically change their relationship, young as it was. “I only know that whatever was done happened immediately after my birth, as my mother died, and that it is related to the Goddess in some way.” With these words she turned to Sothis, who only nodded in response, as if giving her encouragement.

“I guess it makes sense for the archbishop to be interested in the Goddess,” Dorothea said, shaking her head. “But using a child seems a bit extreme.”

“How do you know that it’s related to the Goddess?” Linhardt questioned. “Did you learn something in your search?”

Byleth’s gaze dropped at that question, another short pause before answering. “When I met with Lady Rhea two days ago, I tried to get some information out of her by guiding the conversation. Unfortunately she saw right through me, and instead she read me like a book. There were two things that I learned in the exchange, both of which I feel like she wanted me to know. First, was the name of the Goddess. It’s Sothis.” As she said this she looked up and made eye contact with Edelgard, who was now frozen in place. “This matters because since I was a little girl I’ve had a person in my head. I know how strange this sounds, but she first appeared to me before I transformed for the first time. She also turned back time to allow me to save my father. I saw him die in front of me, but with her help I was able to keep him from being killed. Her name is Sothis. She told me this when we first met, and she knew almost nothing about herself. That’s another reason why I stayed. So I could find out more about her as well.”

When she looked from Edelgard to the rest of the class, she saw disbelief on their faces. None of them seemed to be able to think of questions about this ludicrous claim either. For a while there were no words, simply the expressions of people trying to process this information. Finally, Lysithea spoke up, her face pale and gaunt.

“Y-you have a gh-gh-ghost in your head?” she stuttered, fear in her eyes.

Sothis fumed at this question, indignant at being called a ghost. “I am not a ghost!” she shrieked, her arms flailing wildly. The green haired spirit turned from the short girl to Byleth as she continued her rant. “How dare she?! Has she no respect? Even if I’m not the Goddess it’s not polite to call people ghosts! Tell her that! Tell her I am not a ghost and that I demand an apology!”

Byleth couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend’s response, facing Lysithea before she answered the girl’s question. “She says that she isn’t a ghost, and that it’s impolite to call her one.” Upon hearing this, Lysithea swallowed anxiously. 

“So she is like the spirits of my home then?” Petra asked. “We would be praying to them when we are wanting their blessing for our tasks.”

“Petra, don’t say that,” Byleth chided. “She already has enough of an ego without your help.”

At that Dorothea started laughing, drawing everyone’s attention to her. When she realized that, she gave an explanation through the laughs. “I’m sorry! It’s just so absurd. We’re having this conversation about a person who lives in the professor’s head and turns back time, yet here we are comparing her to ghosts and spirits and talking about her ego. It’s so strange!”

It was now Byleth’s turn to be confused. The students had taken this information relatively calmly, even making jokes about this strange situation. “I don’t think I’ve ever had people react like this,” she said. “People have always thought I was crazy or called me a monster.” 

“You aren’t a monster, professor” Beradetta’s faint voice piped up to say. “You’re just… our teacher.”

“It probably also helped that we saw you turn into, as Caspar said, ‘a giant lizard’,” added Linhardt. “I would like to study this ‘turning back time’ that you mentioned however.”

Ferdinand was the next to speak kind words. “You acted quite noble. Even in such an injured state you threw yourself into danger to protect one of your students! That is a feat deserving of praise, not rejection.”

As the orange haired noble finished speaking, the others began to add their own words of support and acceptance. This wave of validation washed over Byleth, causing her to sit there in shock, not knowing how to react. She tried to think of something to say but no words felt adequate for the situation that was unfolding around her. Before she could find anything appropriate to say, the voice of the one she wanted to hear from the most made itself heard over all the others.

“Alright everyone,” Edelgard started, “that’s enough for now. I think our professor is a little overwhelmed.” As she spoke she walked towards the injured woman and knelt down beside her, bringing a handkerchief up to her face and wiping away tears that Byleth hadn’t realized she was crying. Once she deemed her work complete, she stood up and turned to the students, settling into a commanding stance. “I’m sure we all have more we would like to say and ask, but those can wait. I don’t believe that we should try to move the professor today, which means staying here for another night. That requires shelter and supplies. Hubert and Ferdinand, begin assigning tasks to those who can’t heal. Linhardt, you’re in charge of our professor’s health. Don’t forget to utilize Dorothea and Lysithea if needed. We should also clean up the monsters from yesterday. Petra, I’m putting you in charge of that.”

Once Edelgard finished speaking the rest of the students burst into action, immediately falling into the roles the house head assigned them. With all of the attention off of her Byleth began to realize just how exhausted she still was and as Linhardt began checking her injuries again she felt herself drifting off to sleep. As her eyes began to close the last thing she saw was Edelgard looking at her with a kind smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we have it. The new longest chapter I've ever written. Sorry it took so long. Even though this chapter is one I've wanted to have in the story since the beginning, doing it justice was still tough. Hopefully you liked it though. As always, I hope you leave your thoughts in the comments, whether they're good or bad, and I'll see you soon!


	21. The Abhorrent Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students set up for a longer stay than expected as they wait for Byleth to wake up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All that I have to say is I'm sorry.

\--11th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Once the professor slipped back into a hopefully restful sleep, the students began to go about the tasks they had been assigned. Edelgard assisted with setting up a slightly more permanent camp, thankful for those varied lessons the professor had put them all through. Despite the lack of sufficient gear, the group working on shelter was able to put something together in the ruins that would protect them from the elements for a few days at least. Once that was done Edelgard headed to the healers and the professor for an update. When she had seen the professor so injured, it had worried her greatly. She had never seen the professor with any kind of significant wound before, and to be honest it had made her seem almost invulnerable. A belief that was quickly snuffed out.

As she walked up to the canopy they had set up for Byleth from her supplies, she saw Linhardt sat down next to the professor. He looked exhausted, but he was still awake. “Linhardt,” Edelgard said, drawing the healer’s attention. “How is she doing?”

Linhardt looked up at Edelgard but didn’t reply immediately, seemingly thinking of what to say. When he spoke up, his words weren’t exactly inspiring. “To be honest, I have no idea,” he answered, letting out an exasperated sigh. “If her injuries were on anyone else, even with three healers, the odds of them getting through the night would have been slim at best. At best I didn’t expect her to wake up and be aware before a few days.” He looked at the professor who was sleeping next to him. She was so still that the only sign that she was alive was the subtle rise and fall of her chest. When Linhardt looked back to Edelgard, his face had a mixture of worry and disbelief on it. “Edelgard,” he said shakily, “she should be dead. But whatever she is is far more resilient than anyone I’ve ever seen. The best we can do now is play it by ear, although I doubt she’s in any real danger now.”

Edelgard let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding at Linhardt’s last sentence. With that news she took a second to inspect the healer, realizing just how ragged he looked. His eyes were almost glazed with lack of sleep and his hair was a barely tamed mess. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and spotted with green stains that Edelgard could guess the source of. “Linhardt,” Edelgard said softly, “I’ll watch her for a bit so you can get some rest. If there’s any change in our professor, I’ll wake you.”

Linhardt studied the house head for a second before accepting her offer with a nod. “I’m going to lay down over there,” he said, gesturing to the other side of the canopy covered area. The two of them shuffled their positions, with Edelgard sitting down next to the professor.

For quite a while it was quiet, and Edelgard kept an eye on the professor as she promised. As she sat there, the imperial princess couldn’t help but think of how terrible things could turn out. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had grown closer to not only her fellow Black Eagles but to the other students at the academy as well. And her plan would likely ruin all that. As Edelgard thought about the future, Dorothea and Caspar walked up, presumably to check on Linhardt and Byleth. 

“Hello Edie!” Dorothea said as the two of them got under the canopy. “Caspar wanted to check on Linhardt and I was going to relieve him, but we can see that you made sure he got some rest.”

Caspar piped up as he walked over to the sleeping healer, starting to shake him awake. “I’m going to get him into the shelter we set up.” As Linhardt woke up the blue haired boy’s voice shifted to a softer tone. “Hey, let’s get you into a better place to sleep.” Linhardt mumbled something unintelligible as he began to wake up, but it was enough for Caspar to understand him. “Don’t worry about the professor. Edelgard and Dorothea are both here now.” Linhardt mumbled something again and then Caspar picked the still half asleep healer up and walked away, waving goodbye at the two girls who were staring at him with flabbergasted expressions.

As Caspar walked away, Dorothea broke the stunned silence. “Well,” she began, “that is adorable. And convenient.” The songstress paused at that, sitting down next to Edelgard before continuing. “So, what’s your take on this whole… thing?” she asked while gesturing from Byleth to the canyon in general. “You seem to be handling it pretty well.”

Edelgard took a second to think about it before answering. “I’m still processing it all, I think. I’ve seen strange things, but this is definitely up there.” The princess shifted next to Byleth before asking her own question of Dorothea. “How about you? I mean no offense, but it seems like you led a somewhat… normal life before coming to the academy.”

“Dorothea put on an obviously fake look of indignation as she responded. “I’ll have you know that I am anything but normal,” she said with a laugh, letting it die and then continuing. “But honestly, this whole ‘our professor is able to transform into a monst… creature larger than a house is unbelievable. And then there’s the whole having the Goddess in her head thing. Normally I would think whoever said that is crazy, but I’ve already seen one insane thing she can do. What’s a few more?”

While Dorothea talked, she wrapped herself tight with her arms, pulling her legs up to her chest. From the words she said and the way she was holding herself, Edelgard could tell that Dorothea was trying to put on a strong face with the whole situation. She understood how difficult it could be to come to terms with what she had learned. Edelgard had been in that place herself only a couple of weeks ago. But the house leader had the advantage of having been exposed to this strange and terrifying world from a young age.

“How did you handle learning this?” Dorothea asked, bringing Edelgard’s thoughts back to reality.

“Like I said, I’m still trying to understand it,” Edelgard said. She knew that was only a half-truth, but she didn’t know how much she could reveal.

“Edelgard, I know that you knew at least some of this stuff,” Dorothea said, her voice shaky but holding a serious tone. “You knew it was the professor in the fight last night. That’s why you ran in, and it explains what you said to her before we started healing her. I’m not asking you to tell me everything. I just want to know that I’m not going crazy. I need to know that. Please.”

Upon hearing and seeing her classmate like this, Edelgard realized just how much she cared about the people she had met at the Academy. And that just by being near her they were in danger. She could push everyone away, keep herself isolated from everyone for their own safety. At this thought she looked at the sleeping professor and knew that wasn’t an option. Byleth had shown her how wonderful it felt to let people into her life. Edelgard hadn’t even known that she was missing it, but now it felt so  _ right _ . That meant that the only option she had was to open up and help her friends prepare themselves. Hubert would say it’s foolish. That it will end with her getting hurt or worse. But she knew that she couldn’t achieve her goals alone, so if she could get help from those she cared about and keep them safe at the same time, it made sense to choose that path.

“You aren’t going crazy,” Edelgard said, still looking at Byleth. “And you’re right. The professor and I have shared some of our secrets with each other. I can’t tell you everything. Some of it’s not mine to tell. But I’ll tell you what I can.” At that Edelgard started telling Dorothea how she felt when she saw Byleth’s other form for the first time, as well as how she was still trying to figure out what these new revelations meant for her. As she spoke, she could feel Dorothea start to let go of some of her anxiety, and Edelgard knew she had made the right choice.

\--11th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Petra--

The task that Petra and Leonie had been given was to gather food and locate water for the group as their supplies wouldn’t cover the group for more than another day. The two of them searched through the canyon, and while it was an inhospitable place they were able to find a source of water not terribly far from the makeshift camp. The same could not be said for additional food. All that Petra and Leonie could find was a few plants that they knew were safe, but strangely enough there were no animals to be found aside from the occasional monster seen in the distance.

“This place is weird,” Leonie said, trying to start some conversation between the two of them. “A good place to learn all that stuff about Professor Eisner, don’t you think?”

“I think it would have been better to learn it somewhere safer,” Petra replied. “Perhaps the academy.”

Leonie let out a sigh. “I mean that what we learned is absurd,” she explained. “Like the whole Goddess thing. It’s just so far away.”

“Why would it be ‘far away’?” Petra asked.

“I mean it’s unbelievable,” Leonie said, unused to the language hiccups she was encountering.

“Ah,” Petra remarked, understanding what the orange haired girl meant. “It is not so strange. In Brigid there are many spirits to whom we offer prayers, and sometimes they will assist in more direct ways. There are also many legends of people who are blessed by the spirits being able to do incredible things.”

When Leonie didn’t reply Petra turned back to her, seeing a shocked expression on her face. “You aren’t shocked by this?” Leonie questioned.

“I did not expect our professor to be one of those such people, no,” Petra said, unsure of what Leonie was trying to suggest.

It seemed like Leonie was about to speak when she crouched down, pulling Petra down with her. The brigid girl knew what this meant. Leonie had seen something dangerous. As Petra silently turned around she saw what caused Leonie to react the way she did. Across a stone arch a small pack of giant wolves had walked out from around a bend in the canyon.

“Let’s take what we’ve found and head back,” Petra suggested. “We can’t take them on if they notice us.”

Leonie nodded in agreement and the two of them headed back as quietly as they could, thankfully avoiding attention from the monsters. Once they were heading back Leonie picked the conversation from earlier up again. “Back to the subject of the professor, you honestly aren’t surprised?”

Petra thought about Professor Eisner for a second, not coming up with anything that she would consider ‘surprising’. The fact that the professor was like one of the people from the legend was certainly unexpected, but even that was believable. She had seen with her own eyes some of the amazing things that her professor could do. All this revelation did was give an explanation to those events. “I am not,” Petra answered. “We saw the professor change back with our own eyes. And even with this new part of her revealed, the professor is still the woman who instructs and cares about us.”

“I mean, you’re right,” Leonie said, putting her fists on her hips and thinking for a second. “Wait!” the orange haired student exclaimed, causing Petra to startle. “This means that she was going easy on me when we trained together!” It took Petra a second to understand what Leonie was talking about, but when she did, she began laughing heartily, earning a glare from Leonie.

\--11th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Ferdinand--

While assisting with dinner prep, Ferdinand found himself lost in thought. This whole situation seemed so strange it was almost as if he was having a fever dream. First the professor was revealed to be some kind of human-like creature who could transform, and then she also supposedly has the Goddess in her head? It was so much to have to suddenly accept. And so many of his classmates seemed to have done just that. Bernadetta, who was beside him doing the majority of the cooking, had simply voiced her support and moved on. Petra and Edelgard had similarly handled this sudden revelation with ease. The others seemed to have had a bit of a period of adjustment, but even they appeared to have already processed this new information. So why was he having such a hard time with it? Why did it make everything feel so… bizarre?

Before Ferdinand could contemplate this topic further he was suddenly made aware that he was in fact using a sharp knife to chop food, having cut into himself with the blade. At this he made a loud yelp, startling Bernadetta beside him. “Oh, Goddess!” she exclaimed, seeing his bleeding finger. “Quick, put pressure on it!” Bernadetta pressed a rag onto the wound, staunching the flow of blood. 

“Thank you, Bernadetta,” Ferdinand said, taking over keeping pressure on the wound.

“Hold on!” exclaimed Bernadetta, still rushing around in panic. “I have bandages in my bag! Hold on!” As the purple haired girl rummaged around her bag, Ferdinand couldn’t help but notice how much more outgoing she had become since Professor Eisner started teaching their class. But that just posed these two versions of the professor opposite each other. The version that was the caring and thoughtful professor was against this strange woman who held unbelievable secrets and incredible power.

As Bernadetta began wrapping up his finger, Ferdinand asked her a question. “What do you think of the professor, Bernadetta? Now that we’ve learned about this new side of her, I mean.”

“I mean, I don’t think my opinion really matters,” Bernadetta said, focusing her gaze even more intently on the wound she was patching up.

Ferdinand was shocked at her statement and stated as such. “Of course it does!” he declared. “Even if I hadn’t asked you your opinion would still be worth listening to!”

“I guess…” she muttered in response, still focused on Ferdinand’s finger. “I don’t really know why you want to know, but the professor is the professor, right? Even if she has secrets, she’s not the scariest person I know by far. She’s always been so kind to me.”

“I guess I just need to try harder to join these two ideas of the professor I have,” Ferdinand said as Bernadetta finished wrapping up his finger. “Maybe I just need to learn more about this whole situation.”

“You could talk with the professor,” Bernadetta suggested. “She probably knows the most about the situation.”

At that Ferdinand let out a quiet laugh at the simplicity and validity of that suggestion, earning a confused and scared look from the purple haired archer. “My apologies, Bernadetta,” Ferdinand said. “It’s just that once again I find myself learning a valuable lesson from you. I learn almost as much from you as I do from our professor. Perhaps you should be a teacher as well.”

A bright flush covered Bernadetta’s face before she stuttered out half a response. “I- That- It’s…” At that she went back to cooking, doing her best to ignore the orange haired student beside her.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

When she came to, Byleth could hear the voices of her students but couldn’t quite make out their words. As her senses shook off the weight of sleep, she could feel the difference between now and the last time she had been awake. She definitely wasn’t completely healed, but she was far better than she had been. Byleth brought herself into sitting position, thankfully without any major pain, before the others noticed her.

“Professor!” Lysithea exclaimed, being the first to notice Byleth sit up. She quickly rushed over and knelt down besides the blue haired woman. “Are you alright? Do you feel any pain?”

“I’m fine,” Byleth answered, starting to get up. This immediately drew everyone over in a panic as they worried about her sudden movement. While it wasn’t the most graceful thing, Byleth did manage to stand, earning concerned looks from most of the students and disbelief from Linhardt. “So, what have I missed?” the professor asked.

Nobody responded at first, all too speechless at this now standing woman who had been on death's door not two days ago. Edelgard was the first to pull herself together and gave an answer to Byleth. “Well, mostly we have been shoring up our shelter and searching for food and water, although the latter has proven difficult. Between what we started with, including your supplies, and what little we have managed to gather, we’ll run out of food tomorrow morning. That means that with travel, we have to leave today or travel on empty stomachs.”

“It’s that bad here?” Byleth asked, surprised that the supplies would run out that quickly. She had brought quite the stock with her, enough for a week and a half on her own. If the student’s had brought any amount of supplies with them they should have enough for at least a few more days if they could supplement it.

Petra spoke up to give the answer to the professor’s question. “We have been not able to be finding any prey. The only creatures that are being found is monsters.”

“All we’ve been able to get is some edible plants,” Leonie added.

Byleth thought for a second about the situation. She still hadn’t found what she was looking for here, but she also still didn’t even know what she was looking for. If she left now, she may not be able to come back soon, and she could feel that there was something here. “What do you think we should do?” she asked under her breath, ignoring the stares she got from a few of the students.

At Byleth’s question, Sothis popped into view on her right. “Well,” the floating goddess started saying, “I say we try and find it today, and if we can’t, we either send the students back and head back tomorrow morning or if they want to join us we all head back tomorrow. Also, it’s strange to have you just  _ talk _ with me while others are around.”

With Sothis’s suggestion, the memories of her near death experience popped into Byleth’s mind. “I say we head back with them whenever they leave,” Byleth countered. “Although I’ll try to convince them to leave tomorrow.”

“That sounds too reasonable for you,” joked Sothis. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Ignoring that last snide remark, Byleth brought her focus back to the students around her. “I still need to find what I came here for,” she explained to the students. “However, I also don’t want a repeat of how you found me. So, how about we all search together, and then tomorrow morning we head back?”

Linhardt was the one who spoke up first, voicing his disapproval. “Professor, you can’t be serious! You nearly died a day ago. To be honest, I’m not sure how you’re actually standing right now. Anyone else would be bedridden for a month minimum.” As he spoke, his tone got more and more frantic. “I can’t believe that you think that searching through a monster riddled canyon that already almost killed you is a good idea! We should head out now! I can’t be the only one who thinks this.” Once he finished speaking, breathing heavily from the emotion he had put into his words, he looked around at the other students for support.

“I say we search,” Edelgard said, drawing a look of shock from Linhardt. “Hear me out first. The professor came here to find something, and it was important enough to head out without warning or alerting anyone else as to where she was going. I doubt this is something she will give up on, am I right?” she asked, getting a nod from Byleth. “This way we can ensure that everyone is safe, and we can be assured that the professor will return to the academy in a timely manner.”

The students who had yet to speak up murmured in agreement, and Linhardt let out a sigh of reluctant acceptance. “Fine,” he said. “But the professor shouldn’t be doing anything too strenuous.”

“I’ll agree to that,” Byleth said.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Sothis--

It was well past noon when the group finally found any kind of lead in the search. The lead wasn’t what any of them expected, and was noticed by Dorothea. As they were searching through the ruins, the former songstress made a note of a gap in the ruins. The group began looking into this and realized that it was a thoroughfare. Now they were heading down this ancient road and the ruins were becoming more complex and packed together. 

“I know I’ve said this before,” Sothis said to Byleth, “but this does feel familiar. Like it’s a path I’ve been down before.”

“That makes sense,” Byleth replied. “The archbishop did say this was where you used to live.”

Sothis crossed her arms as she replied. “I know, but it still feels strange. Like a dream that you know is a dream.”

As she said this, the group came into view of the end of the canyon, and at the base of the canyon wall a structure, larger than the others that surrounded it and standing above them, was cut out of the stone. Most of the structure had crumbled, but some walls still stood, giving a sense of scale. 

“Well, that building must have been impo-” Sothis began, stopping instantly when her vision flashed for a second, revealing what the building used to look like. Despite only seeing it for a moment, Sothis felt conflicting feelings of safety and fear from the large structure.

“What’s wrong?” Byleth asked, obviously shaken by the sudden halt in Sothis’s words. “Sothis, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, unsure of how to describe what had just happened. “We should go into that ruin she directed, pointing to the large ruin ahead of them. “I feel like whatever we’re here to find is there.”

Byleth nodded, leading the group of students to the building. As they neared the curious construction, visions of the bygone city continued to flash in Sothis’s sight, laying themselves over the world around her. The blue haired woman began ascending the steps up to the ruin that had drawn their attention, but as she took the final step up to the structure, a sense of dread swept over Sothis. Before the green haired goddess could do any more than stiffen in response, she was deprived of all her senses.

\--?? Of the ?? Moon, ??, Sothis--

Sothis was vaguely aware of the space around her, but it felt as if she was submerged in some kind of muck. She tried to move and call out but immediately found that her body wouldn’t answer her commands, instead laying unresponsively on whatever she was on. She kept trying to move something, anything, but was completely unsuccessful. Her attempts did have one reward however. The more Sothis tried to move, the more aware of her body she became. It was as if she was slowly fading into existence. As this sensation of her physical form became clearer, she realized that it wasn’t the one she was used to, but was a familiar form all the same. Instead of the continuously youthful manifestation she remembered, her body was large and strong, even if she couldn’t move it. Instead of skin she had small armor-like plates coating her, and an additional set of limbs jutting out of her back.

She studied herself for a second before realizing why this appearance was so familiar. Sothis had seen it a multitude of times, but the most recent was two days ago as Byleth fought for their lives against a horde of monsters. The body that she found herself in was the same as the one Byleth had been able to transform into for over a decade. The armor-like plates were the same iridescent white scales and the extra limbs were wings that were laid across her back.

As she reeled from this realization, she became aware of her muted senses letting her know of another presence in the room with her. This other figure began moving towards her, making Sothis aware of just how alone and vulnerable she was like this. The presence stopped within reach of her and suddenly a jolt of fiery pain shooting through her. This agony kept growing and spreading, burning through her body like a bolt of lightning constantly coursing through her. She wanted to let out a scream, or even just make some kind of noise, but her horror was only added to as she found herself unable to do anything. As the suffering continued, it felt like she was being torn apart in the tiniest of fragments, being broken down into nothing.

This excruciating torment continued for an amount of time that was lost to Sothis, but eventually she became aware of more than just the torture she was going through. The first thing she became aware of was a warmth coating her. That warmth felt like it was dripping off of her, and every once in a while she was smothered again. The next sense she became aware of was a soft, indistinguishable mixture of sounds. Sothis strained to make out what was causing the sound, but before she could decipher the noise, a blurry jumble of colors filled her sight. Reds and oranges pulsed around her, shifting across her vision. A sense of nauseous unease started to fill the goddess, but she couldn’t place why. Suddenly, the din around her cut through by a pleading voice.

“Why are you doing th-” the voice cried before sputtering out with a gurgle.

In the middle of the voice’s cry, Sothis was covered once again in that sickening warmth, and suddenly all of her senses were brought into revolting focus. The city she had seen in the flashes that came to her as they travelled through the ruins was around her, burning and coated in splashes of blood and ash. Bodies littered the streets as soldiers stepped over them to chase down those who were fleeing. With a disgusting sense of clarity Sothis realized that the warmth that was coating her was from the lifeblood of those corpses. The final thing Sothis became aware of before her senses faded to nothingness was that her form had once again changed to a familiar and unexpected shape. As the world went blank around her Sothis registered that she was the Sword of The Creator.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Sothis--

As Sothis returned to the current world, she saw Byleth collapse to her hands and knees at the top of the steps, her face pallid with unseeing eyes and her breathing heavy. The students rushed to her side but were ignored as the blue haired woman turned her head to look at Sothis. Byleth spoke to Sothis with a raspy voice and an expression of fear and confusion.

“What was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, did I say I'm sorry? Because I am, kinda. This is another once of those pieces that has been planned for a while. Yeah. Sorry. I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think in the comments. Next chapter will be nicer. I promise. We have a bit of time before things get bad again. Anyways, see you all next update!


	22. Fears Brought To Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Byleth reacts to this new information, her behavior sparks some uncomfortable questions.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As soon as Byleth crested the stairs she fell to her hands and knees, breathing heavily. Edelgard ran to her side, taking a knee beside the professor and trying to assess what had just happened. The other students were right behind her, circling the professor as they voiced their worry. Byleth ignored them, turning her head to the side and shooting a piercing look into empty air, uttering words that came out quietly but with purpose.

“What was that?” she asked to the empty air.

“What was what, professor?” asked Ferdinand. “Did you trip on something?”

Suddenly the professor rolled over into a sitting position, knocking into Caspar and Ferdinand and forcing them backwards. She fumbled with her sword belt for a few seconds before finally managing to undo it. As soon as she had it off Byleth hurled the Sword of the Creator away from her, causing it to tumble down the stairs 

“What did you do that for, professor?!” Caspar asked loudly, voicing the thought that seemed to be going through the students’ minds.

“You shouldn’t just throw relics, professor!” Leonie said, starting to head down the stairs to pick up the discarded sword.

“DON’T!” Byleth bellowed, her voice far weightier than normal. Edelgard recognized this new voice as the one from Byleth’s other form, remembering what Byleth said when she first showed Edelgard that form. Whatever had happened had obviously affected her greatly if her control over her transformation was slipping. Meanwhile, Leonie had stopped in her tracks and all the other students beside Edelgard had stepped back from the professor. “I’m sorry,” Byleth said, her voice shifting back to normal as she spoke. “Just leave it there for now. Please.”

Lysithea was the first of the shaken students to recover. “What happened, Professor? You must have some reason for your actions.”

“I’ll tell you when we get back to the camp,” Byleth said as she stood up. “Just… give me that long to get my thoughts together.” With that she started down the steps, and when she reached the sword she stared at it as if deciding what to do. She quickly made that decision though, as she pulled off her jacket and dropped it over the blade, wrapping it up completely as she gingerly reclaimed it. Once she was satisfied she started back down the way they had come from.

It looked like Ferdinand was going to speak up so Edelgard decided to vocalize her support of the professor. “Let’s head back everyone. The sooner we get back to camp the sooner we can leave the canyon.” Once she finished, she started down the stairs with a confident stride, hoping that her words and actions would assuage the students’ worries. Thankfully it worked enough to get them moving, as she could hear them follow her down the stairs.

The walk back to the makeshift camp wasn’t too long, but it was filled with a heavy sense of tension and an awkward silence. Edelgard could tell that pressing the professor for answers before she was ready to talk would just leave everyone angry, but she also knew that most of the students were getting anxious about this secrecy that had been exposed. Thankfully, the group arrived before anyone broke the tenuous peace between these two ad hoc groups that Edelgard found herself in the middle of.

The first thing Byleth did upon entering their camp was set the sword down on the far side of the camp, immediately walking to the other side. Once there she sat down and closed her eyes, putting her head in her hands. Unfortunately Byleth didn’t get any time to rest as Hubert immediately launched into a line of questioning.

“Professor, you need to explain what is happening here,” he demanded. “First you head out suddenly with almost no warning to a forbidden canyon. When we find you you’re nearly dead and in the form of a gigantic monster. Then you lead us on a wild goose chase, but as soon as we find what might be a clue you toss away a powerful weapon and bring us all back to camp. If I hadn’t seen you in that beastial form, I would think that you are at best crazy and at worst actively leading us astray.”

Edelgard could only watch as each of Hubert’s words cut deeply into the professor, causing her to flinch as he listed the very things that she had caused her to worry about opening up to the princess. She knew however that if she put herself between these two groups, she would have to choose a side and nothing would get resolved.

Unfortunately for Byleth, an unlikely voice joined Hubert’s. “Yes, professor,” agreed Ferdinand as he stepped up next to the black haired retainer. “You’ve been acting strangely for days and giving as little explanation as possible. You have said that you would protect us, but how do we know that these secrets won’t lead us into more danger?”

Ferdinand’s words were apparently enough to push Byleth to respond, but as soon as she did it became obvious just how much the professor was affected. White scales were peeking out from the neck of her shirt and spreading along her arms. Her eyes now had slit pupils instead of the normal round ones and her teeth were pointed. As she spoke it also became obvious that her voice had changed as well, to that weighty voice she had right after whatever had happened in the ruins.

“Do you think I don’t know that?” the professor responded, her pain being conveyed even through her thicker tone. “But more often than not when someone learns what I am they either think of me as a monster or a freak! They run from me. And as much as I hate it I understand why. I’m dangerous.” As these words carried Byleth’s suffering and aching out to the students, tears began to flow from her eyes. “So I try to keep those parts of me away from others,” she continued as her voice cracked with emotion. “But if I do that then I look like little more than the shell of a person. And sometimes I think maybe that’s all I am. A monster hiding within a shell to keep others out.” At that Byleth looks at her hands, scales reaching her wrists and covering the back of her hands. The woman took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before she spoke again. “I can’t promise that my secrets won’t hurt you,” she said, raising her gaze to the students. “I can’t because they’ve already hurt me more than any weapon ever has. But they’re the ones I’m forced to live with.”

As the professor went quiet Edelgard looked around at the students. She was unsurprised to see looks of guilt or shame on most of their faces. A lot of them were probably thinking similar things to what Hubert and Ferdinand said, worried that there was some dark secret that the professor was hiding. But when the curtain was pulled back, instead of finding something nefarious or awful, they found a woman who has spent her whole life being told that she was a beast to be put down without knowing why. As the professor continued to cry, Edelgard wanted to do nothing more than go and comfort the woman, but she knew that she couldn’t be the first one to do so. If she was then at least some of the students would simply follow her example and not make that decision on their own. Thankfully the sound of leather boots padding across stone drew Edelgards attention, and she saw one of the people she least expected walking to the professor.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Bernadetta--

If there was one thing they knew, Bernie knew fear. The kind of fear that leaves you trapped with no way out on your own. It just built and built until you couldn’t take it anymore. Their father had started that fear growing inside of them, and it had felt like it would be there forever, isolating them forever. Even after getting shipped off to the Officer’s Academy Bernie still found themselves being controlled by that fear. Others tried to help, tried to pull down the walls that had been built around them, but no progress had ever really been made. Until the professor came along that is. She had been so approachable from day one. Like she could be brought into those walls and stay with Bernie for a bit. And before they knew it the professor was bringing in others as well. Acting as a mediator between Bernie and others so that they could get to know the people around them. Soon enough those walls that had been built by the fear inside their heart didn’t seem so big. They were still large, and they weren’t coming down any time soon, but they didn’t seem insurmountable anymore.

Now Bernie knew why the professor had so easily gotten inside of their walls. She had been dealing with the same thing for her whole life. But instead of hiding away in a room, the professor had been keeping a part of herself hidden away. And every time someone saw it they either couldn’t help her like she helped Bernie, or they added to that fear. As they realized that, Bernie came to understand just how strong the professor was. Even as she was being pulled down by the weight of her own fears she took time to make sure the same thing wasn’t happening to them. That’s when Bernie decided it was time to start repaying that kindness.

With all the confidence she could gather, the purple haired archer began walking around the group of students and towards the professor whose tears were now falling freely. Despite the scales and teeth and eyes that she now had, Bernie still thought that the professor looked like one of the kindest people she knew. Before their quickly collected conviction ran out the meek student closed the distance to the crying woman and wrapped their arms around her as tightly as possible. They felt her tense up for a second before she nearly crumpled, her sobs getting louder.

Bernie felt like they were going to collapse under the sudden need to hold up the professor when more people joined in the hug. First was Caspar, who ran forward and pinned Bernie to the professor. Next Dorothea, immediately followed by Petra, joined the two of them but they were much more aware of Bernie’s need for personal space. Most of the remaining students went over to embrace the professor after that, leaving only Hubert, Ferdinand, and Edelgard.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Ferdinand--

After hearing why the professor kept secrets and seeing how much those secrets weighed on her Ferdinand couldn’t help but feel like he had misunderstood her. With all of these secrets that were being revealed about her and her sudden change to a defensive and hardened demeanor Ferdinand had thought that there was some terrible truth about the professor that would bring ruin upon the students. But instead all she was trying to do was keep those secrets from ruining her. That idea had never crossed the orange haired boy’s mind. The professor had always come off as so strong and sure of herself that he hadn’t considered the possibility of all that being a mask that she wore. And now that mask was broken, shattered by his words.

“Do you understand now, you two?” Edelgard said, now standing beside Hubert and Ferdinand. “The professor has done everything she could to keep us safe, to the point of letting us tear down the walls she made to protect herself so that we could assuage our fears.” Ferdinand turned to look at Edelgard and saw her staring at the group of students and the professor, a sad smile on her face.

“I apologize for my egregious actions,” Ferdinand said, causing Edelgard to snap her head in his direction.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,  _ von Aegir _ ,” the house head retorted, fire burning in her eyes and venom on her tongue. “I’m not the one that you decided to needle with every fear that has been ineradicably ground in to her for her entire life.” Edelgard leaned around Ferdinand and directed her red-hot scowl at her retainer before continuing. “The same goes for you,  _ von Vestra _ .”

“I shall apologize to the professor post-haste, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert replied matter-of-factly. “Although I do still recommend getting answers from Miss Eisner regarding the events in the ruins.” 

Edelgard glared at Hubert, but seemed to understand where his desire was coming from. “If the professor still wants to talk about it, then you may ask some questions  _ politely _ ,” she responded. “If she is even slightly reluctant because of what you two have said then it can wait indefinitely.”

As Edelgard said this, the group of students were stepping back, disbanding the embrace. The professor was knelt down in the center of the group, looking much more put together and much more human. Ferdinand decided that he should express his regret at his actions immediately to hopefully start mending the damage he had caused to his relationship with the professor. He walked forward meekly, stopping in a few feet in front of the blue haired woman.

“Professor,” began Ferdinand, his voice subdued, “I would like to apologize for my behavior. I incorrectly assumed that you were hiding something that was a danger to us. Instead, you were trying to protect yourself while also protecting us. And then I pushed you too far, forcing you to choose. Even with my disrespectful actions, you chose to open yourself up to us so that we would have the choice of how to protect ourselves.” While Ferdinand was trying to apologize, the professor stood up and closed the distance between the two of them. “Please, professor. Forgive me for my mistake”.

The professor looked at Ferdinand sadly for a moment before she responded. “I can’t,” she said, causing the tall boy to wither. “Not yet anyways. You’ve realized your mistake, and I can tell that you really do regret your actions. But what you and Hubert did was everything that I’ve feared about telling people about myself. I don’t know when I’ll be ready to forgive you, but your apology means a lot. So thank you.”

Ferdinand didn’t know what felt worse: the fact that the professor didn’t forgive him, or the fact that he agreed that he didn’t deserve it. “Thank you for your honesty, Professor,” he said, nodding in understanding of the professor’s words. “I’ll strive my hardest to prove that I am worthy of your clemency.”

Hubert walked up next to him at this time and began his own apology. “Professor, I too would like to express my regret at my behavior,” the retainer said. “I have grown accustomed to root out threats to her highness, and as such I assumed your behavior was indicative of such a threat. I can see now that you are not one such threat.”

“I can only tell you what I told Ferdinand,” the professor responded.

Hubert bowed slightly at that. “I understand,” he said. “With that however, I do have a request. I don’t mean to sour the mood now, but would you be willing to explain what happened at the ruins?”

“Hubert!” Edelgard exclaimed, obviously displeased with his question. But before she could continue the professor raised her hand up, gesturing for the house head to stop. Once she had quieted Edelgard the blue haired woman spoke.

“I will,” she answered. The professor moved to sit down on a rock in the camp and the students grouped around her, curious for answers. “As I got to the top of the stairs I saw something. A vision, or maybe a flashback. But it wasn’t mine. It was Sothis’s. I was in her body, but it was also my other form. In it I couldn’t move or and all of my senses were blocked off. Even with that, I could feel  _ someone _ approaching. Once they got close all that I was aware of was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. It was like someone was ripping me into the smallest pieces they could and putting them in a fire that never went out.”

As she spoke about what she experienced Ferdinand could see the color drain from her face and her hands were tightly wrapped around each other, barely managing to stop them from shaking. Despite that she continued with her explanation. “That wasn’t even the worst thing though. Eventually I became numb to the pain or it faded, I’m not sure, and I was coated in a warmth. Slowly other senses returned to me as well. I saw spots of orange and red and yellow, but I couldn’t make out what they were. The next thing to come back was my hearing. I wish it hadn’t though. All I could hear was the sound of battle and the cries of people as they were cut down. That’s when I realized what was going on. I was in the sword as it was being used to slaughter the people who used to live here. The spots I saw were fires as the city burned and that warmth was… it was…” The professor couldn’t get the words out but it didn’t matter. Everyone knew what she was trying to say. “That’s why I threw the sword,” The professor said, finally raising her head and looking at the students. “It’s not just a weapon. It’s alive. Or it used to be.”

Edelgard was the one to connect the dots first. “Relics used to be people,” she said, a horrified look on her face. Rapid steps were heard leaving the group as Linhardt ran away and vomited in disgust. Everyone looked as if they weren’t far away from the same reaction. Even Hubert, who usually remained stoic at things that the other’s balked at, looked visibly disturbed.

“It makes sense,” Hubert said morbidly. “Relics have been seen to move slightly on their own, and they don’t look like other weapons. Their material looks like fossils or…” He trailed off at that, apparently not wanting to say what the weapons appeared to be made of. Lysithea picked up where he left off, however.

“They look like bone,” the short mage finished. “Does the church know this?” Lysithea asked. “What other secrets are hidden from the people?”

“I don’t know,” Professor Eisner replied. “But I doubt this is the last of their secrets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another update? So soon? I blame my brain. Anyways, tell me what you think of it. I love seeing your thoughts and reactions.


	23. A Verbal Offensive And An Emotional Reveal!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the Red Canyon, Byleth has to talk with the archbishop. During that talk however the new professor tries to turn the tables on the sly woman.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

The journey from Red Canyon to Garreg Mach was a somber event, with almost the entire journey having a tense silence. Everyone was still trying to process what they had learned in the canyon, both about the professor and the relics. As the group first saw the monastery the professor came to a halt, pulling the wrapped up relic off her back.

As the students stopped behind her, Leonie expressed her curiosity. “What are you doing, professor?” she asked as the blue haired woman separated her coat and the sword.

“I don’t want anyone to get suspicious because I return with the sword wrapped up,” Byleth explained. Taking a deep breath she strapped the sword to her hip and put her coat back on. “I doubt many people would notice, but the archbishop might. And she’s the last person I want to have digging into my secrets.”

“You don’t trust the archbishop?” Dorothea piped up. “Do you think she’s part of… this whole thing?”

Byleth turned around to face the inquisitive students before she answered. “It’s not that I don’t trust her as much as I know that she has goals of her own. She’s the one who pointed me towards the Red Canyon, and knowing what I know now I think she wanted me to head there.”

“You think she gave you that information on purpose?” Edelgard asked. “Do you think that she’s trying to control you?”

“I don’t know what she’s trying to do,” Byleth replied. “That’s what worries me. All I know is that every time I make a choice where she’s involved it feels like I didn’t have a choice afterwards.” With that the professor continued on towards the monastery and the students followed after. As they made their way through the town the woman felt on edge, as if someone was watching her, but did her best to keep that feeling from showing. Unfortunately that feeling only got stronger as the group got closer to the monastery proper, and Byleth’s fear was confirmed when she saw the archbishop on the other side of the bridge.

As the group got close to the gate the archbishop spoke up. “Professor Eisner. It’s good to see you return to us healthy and well. Many of us were worried when you suddenly departed with little warning. However, I would like to speak with you if you don’t have any other pressing matters.”

Byleth knew that she didn’t have a choice, so she decided to at least pretend to play along. “I planned to be away longer, so I have time now.” she answered. She turned to address the students before giving them some directions. “Everyone go and get settled, and I’ll check in with you later. Leonie and Lysithea, if Professor Casagranda gives you trouble just direct her to me.”

With those instructions the students left the professor alone in the proverbial lion’s den. The archbishop turned and headed towards the reception hall and Byleth followed, trying to figure out some sort of plan.

“You do have some idea of what you’re going to do, yes?” Sothis asked, her voice filled with worry. She hadn’t been her usual sassy self since the vision, although that wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“I don’t. Hopefully soon,” Byleth whispered so only Sothis could hear.

“I know that I usually recommend caution,” Sothis said with quiet words, as if trying to keep Rhea from hearing, “but I am tired of always being one step behind  _ her _ . We need to put Rhea on her back foot as your father would say.”

Byleth nodded in agreement as the archbishop led her into the office off the audience chamber. She took a seat at the low table and gestured for the professor to do the same. “So, would it be impolite to assume you got done whatever you needed to do?” Rhea asked as she reached for a teapot on the table. Steam was coming from the spout, which meant it was made within the last few minutes.

“She planned this too,” Sothis said, noticing the tea as well.

“I did,” Byleth answered as Rhea poured the two of them tea. “I was surprised when the students met up with me though. I didn’t think anyone knew where I was going.”

“It was indeed,” Rhea said calmly, picking up her tea. “I am curious as to where you went. Normally professors don’t take a week off with an hours notice only to come back 2 days later.”

Sothis piped up angrily at the archbishop’s remark. “She’s trying to lead you on again! I bet she knows where we went and is just testing us or something.” As she said this the green haired goddess crossed her arms with a pout.

Byleth couldn’t deny that she felt the same way, but as Sothis spoke an idea based on what she had said earlier crossed the professor’s mind. Rhea seemed to give Byleth special attention and treatment. But that same treatment could potentially be used against her. “I assumed it wouldn’t be an issue,” Byleth answered, covering a smirk with a sip of tea. “My student’s are exceeding my expectations and I had no other responsibilities during my absence as far as I’m aware.”

Rhea’s expression soured at Byleth’s words. “While it wasn’t an issue this time that doesn’t mean that your actions are acceptable,” she chided. “Not only did you leave your student unattended, but as Seteth was quick to point out, you left to an unknown destination with one of the most important Relics.” The archbishop took a sip of tea as she stopped talking, and Byleth took advantage of that break to push the topic of the accursed sword.

“I thought you trusted me with the Sword of the Creator?” the professor inquired. “Surely you don’t think that I would run off with it?”

“While I don’t think that you stealing the sword is a problem in our future, you must remember that trust can be lost.” As Rhea answered Sothis seemed to understand what Byleth was trying to do.

“Keep pressing her on this issue,” Sothis encouraged. “If you do she’ll have to divulge why she treats you so differently.”

Byleth was glad that Sothis agreed with her current methods as she spoke. “That is true. It also has to be earned, which is why I’m having trouble with something. Why did you trust me, who is in Seteth’s words an unknown mercenary, with such an important relic? Or a teaching position for that matter? What led you to put someone you knew almost nothing about into such an important position?”

To her credit Rhea wasted no time in giving an answer. “I’m sure you know of your father’s history with the Church,” the archbishop started. “I believe that if he had thought you were unfit for the position he would have spoken up.”

“But surely given my experience it would have made more sense to offer a position in the knights?” Byleth countered, trying her best to not let Rhea have time to think. “Before coming here I had never taught anyone, so my father had no idea of how I would do as a professor.”

The archbishop set down her cup of tea and directed her full attention at Byleth, her smile disappearing. “It almost sounds as if you don’t want the position, Miss Eisner,” Rhea said, her voice carrying a serious weight within it. “It may take a bit of time, but a replacement teacher could be arranged.”

“Oh, that’s not what I’m saying at all,” the professor replied. “I’m just curious about your reason for choosing me. From what I’ve heard most people expected Jeritza to be the replacement teacher. Even the other professors expected that.” Byleth set her own cup down and reached for the teapot, refilling the cup and taking a sip before continuing. “While Seteth and I may not see eye to eye on many things, I think we both agree that the amount of trust you’ve placed in me is strange. So why have you decided to trust me with both future rulers of the Empire and a Holy Relic with such a unique, secret, origin.” For the first time in her many conversations with Rhea, Byleth saw the archbishop stiffen for a split second. That reaction, even if it only lasted for an instant, let her know that the former mercenary was finally starting to truly push back.

“Keep on going!” Shothis cheered. “If we keep her like this she’ll trip up eventually!”

“What do you mean by secret?” Rhea posed. “The Sword of the Creator may not be as well known as the other relics, but I would hardly say that it’s story is a mystery.” Once she had given her reply the archbishop picked her tea up again and took a sip.

Byleth, encouraged by Sothis’s cheering and the reaction of the archbishop, decided to begin her offensive in full. “Well, it’s just that because of my house’s mission this month and the fact that you let me hold onto this sword I’ve been looking into the history of the relics. That’s actually why I left so suddenly.” As she said this Byleth unfastened her sword belt and laid the relic on the table. “I decided that some more in depth research was needed, so I went to the ruins in the Red Canyon.” At those words Rhea froze again, but this time she didn’t recover immediately so Byleth continued on. “While I was there I noticed several things. When I was with my father’s company, it was an unfortunate truth that I saw villages that had been destroyed, whether by bandits or other disasters. And despite the ruins being ancient I still found some signs of that kind of destruction, specifically the man-made kind. But I thought that couldn’t be right, right? Who would raise their weapons against the Goddess?”

As Byleth said those words she was cut off from continuing by the sound of shattering porcelain and splashing liquid. She directed her eyes from the sword to the archbishop and saw that she was holding what looked like the crushed handle of her teacup with the rest of the cup and it’s contents scattered on the floor. Rhea immediately stood up, still holding onto broken porcelain in her hand. “I’m so sorry,” she said with a shaky voice. “Let me clean this up.” With that she headed towards her desk and pulled out a handkerchief from a drawer, using it to wipe her hand dry. Although it was partially obscured by the archbishop’s body, as Rhea did this Byleth saw a familiar shade of green on the formerly white handkerchief.

“Is that what I think it is?” Sothis said, noticing the same thing. Byleth nodded to the spirit as she stood up as silently as possible, moving closer to the distracted woman. As she got within a few feet the handkerchief came into plain view and the suspicions of Byleth and Sothis were confirmed. Soaked into the piece of cloth was some tea and, much more interestingly, green blood that the two could see seeping from small cuts on the archbishops hand.

When she saw this Sothis loudly exclaimed the surprise. “She has your blood!” As soon as she spoke Sothis realized her mistake, as her sudden outburst caused Byleth to gasp in surprise. While that normally wouldn’t be an issue she was only a few feet from the archbishop, who immediately turned at the noise. Before Byleth could try to explain she felt a sudden shock to her chest and weightlessness before immediately slamming into the stone wall next to the couches. Before the professor could get to her feet she felt the familiar scrunching sensation around her as Sothis turned back time and she found herself on the couch again with the archbishop tending to her cuts near her desk.

“I’m so sorry!” Byleth heard Sothis say. “I’m so used to not being heard I didn’t think about it!”. Although how hard she hit you was very impressive.” The professor gave Sothis a glare as she waited for Rhea. Once the woman had presumably fixed her hand she went into the audience chamber and came back a minute later with a monk who quickly cleaned up the mess with a rag and dustpan. As the monk left Rhea thanked them for their work before returning to the couch.

“I’m sorry for that little delay,” the archbishop apologized. “Now, what were you saying about the ruins?” Despite her polite smile, Byleth could tell that Rhea was still shaken from the previous topic.

Byleth decided to continue with her previous topic, trying to see what more she could learn from the archbishop and filing away the information about her blood for later. “I was wondering why someone would try to strike down the Goddess. And how could they do so well as to drive the entire population of the city and the Goddess from their homes?”

“You know well that some people disagree with the church,” Rhea said, trying to keep her voice even. “You’ve fought some of them yourself when you went to Gaspard lands to deal with Lord Lonato. It only makes sense that this difference in beliefs has existed in one form or another for as long as people have lived in Fodlan.”

“I understand that,” the professor replied, growing tired of the archbishop’s diversion. “I was wondering more about how they could deal so much damage to the city. But as I searched the ruins, I noticed smooth cuts in the stone, as if it had been slashed in two by a blade. However, the cuts weren’t straight. They curved in ways that no normal blade could. When I looked at those strokes I couldn’t help but feel like I had seen them before. It took me a while, but eventually I realized that I had seen them before, when I was practicing with that sword.” As Byleth said this she pointed at the sword on the table, her words filling with venom towards the blade. “So do you know why that  _ weapon _ was the cause of such devastation to the Goddess’s home? Or it’s terrible origin?”

As the blue haired woman spoke Sothis began to give her opinion. “Byleth, don’t let your feelings ruin the progress you’ve made. I know that what we experienced was horrid but you need to keep a level head.”

“I’m sure that you’re just mistaken,” the archbishop started. “That weapon was never-”

“Don’t lie to me!” Byleth roared before Rhea could finish her sentence. “I know what I saw! What I felt as I stepped into that ruined temple! And I know that you have answers because out of all the blood I’ve seen you’re the only one who has the same blood as me!”

“That’s exactly what I told you not to do!” Sothis cried, her hands going to the side of her head.

Meanwhile Rhea looked at the professor with shock in her eyes. She obviously hadn’t expected this outburst from the professor. She didn’t reply immediately, however, so Byleth continued her explosive rant. “I’ve wondered why I’m different from everyone, why I get so much hate directed towards me just for being me, for my entire life! And I end up here, the place that has the answers I’m looking for, only to end up getting led around like a mouse being played with! I’m not going to accept that any more! So tell me the truth! Why do you treat me so differently, and why did you give me that  _ disgusting _ blade?”

As Byleth’s volatile tirade came to an end and she caught her breath, Rhea stood up. She stepped up to the blue haired woman and did something that neither Byleth nor Sothis had expected, wrapping her arms around her in a gentle embrace. “I’m so sorry that you have had such a troubled life,” she said in a kind whisper. “And that I have added to that list of troubles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once again everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It had Byleth in a situation that you don't normally see her in within the context of the game so I hope you liked my take on it. Fortunately things once again turn out sorta alright for Byleth "Makes Brash Decision" "Bless her heart" "are you fucking kidding me" Eisner.


	24. Learning to Adjust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a stressful day comes to a close we see how some of the students are managing now that they are out of immediate danger. While that happens Byleth and Rhea finally talk with a sense of honesty between them.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Caspar--

As the students watched the professor follow the archbishop, the feeling of worry in the air was palpable. Before anyone could speak up however Caspar felt himself being dragged away from the group. When he looked at who was pulling him along he saw Linhardt leading him towards the dorms. As they got into Caspar’s room he closed the door before pushing Caspar onto the bed.

“Hey, no need to get aggressive,” Caspar said with a smirk, surprised by his boyfriend’s sudden forwardness.

“I’m not trying to get into you pants, you fool!” Linhardt chided, stripping the blue haired boy of his shirt and revealing the binder underneath. “We’ve been hiking all day and I know that you slept in this last night. Take it off now.”

Caspar knew better than to argue with the healer when he got like this, but he could tell that something else was bothering Linhardt as well. As he was undoing the lacing holding everything in place Linhardt was readying a familiar spell, hoping to stop any long-term damage of the compression. They took their regular places with Caspar face down on the bed and Linhardt pulling up the chair beside him. The fighter let Linhardt work for a few minutes, feeling the pressure and pain in his ribs slowly fade, before he broke the silence. “Sooo, what’s got you on edge?” Caspar asked. “And don’t say it’s me, because I know how you get when I bind for too long.”

Linhardt let out a sigh as he let his hands move familiar circles. “It’s just this whole thing with the professor has been unbelievable,” he said. “When we first saw her in the canyon, after she changed back, I thought ‘I’m going to have to watch her die.’ That’s how bad her injuries were. And then two days later she’s almost completely healed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad that she survived, but it was a lot to process. It’s…” The healer trailed off, his hands stilling and the magic fading from them.

As his boyfriend stopped what he was doing Caspar lifted himself off the bed and turned to face Linhardt. “You don’t have to talk about it,” he whispered, “but if you want to I’m here and willing to listen.”

Linhardt didn’t verbally respond but he did put his hand on Caspar’s arm, squeezing it softly. The two of them sat like that for several minutes before Linhardt opened his lapis eyes. Caspar’s heart felt like it was being squeezed as he saw the misery in his love’s expression. He wanted nothing more than to take away whatever was causing his pain, but without knowing what was causing it he couldn’t do much more than wait until Linhardt opened up about it. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long to learn more about those troubles.

“Last time we were at that canyon,” Linhardt uttered, his voice muted and shaky, “I… I had to face the fact that death is something I have to deal with. And I thought that I had. Especially with having to watch you get taken down in front of me. But even when I had to heal you in the field, I knew that you weren’t at risk once we were out of combat. With the professor, I thought… I thought that this is where I watch someone who I care about die. And I kept seeing not just the professor on the ground like that, but everyone I care about. All our classmates, our friends, our families, and you. But then the professor started recovering and things got better. Until I learned just how different she is. If it had been anyone else in her position, they would have died. And I would have had to sit there uselessly as they took their last breath.”

Caspar quickly clutched Linhardt to him tightly, trying to figure out how to comfort his basil-haired partner. He knew how to deal with physical sources of pain, but this was something he had less skill with. You couldn’t punch fears, so the best he could do is hold Linhardt close and try to reassure him that so long as they had each other they could get through most things. “I know that you think that we got lucky this time,” he replied, “and that next time we won’t be as blessed. But that just means that we have to do what you’re always telling me to do and learn from this. We’ll just have to work extra hard to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen again.” His boyfriend didn’t respond, but Caspar hoped that his words had some positive effect on him as he held him, offering all the care and comfort he could.

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Lysithea--

The group of students began to scatter once the professor was led off by the archbishop and Lysithea thought that now would probably be the best time to talk to Edelgard about their likely shared  _ experience _ . “Leonie,” the mage called out to her classmate, “can you let Professor Casagranda know that I’m back too? There’s something I need to do.”

Leonie nodded but had a confused look on her face. “Sure, but what’s so important? You know the professor isn’t going to be happy that we just vanished and it’s gonna be worse the longer you put off talking with her.”

“I know, but I have to talk with Edelgard about something,” Lysithea answered as she backed away towards the Black Eagles house leader. “Thank you for doing this though!” With that taken care of she headed in the direction she had seen Edelgard go in, seeing her as she rounded a corner. With her was her shadow, Hubert. He always gave her the creeps, like he was a ghost or something. But that didn’t matter. She was going to talk to Edelgard and get some answers. Professor Eisner had mentioned that she and the house leader were in whatever they were in together and that meant that Edelgard had a reason to resent the current way of things.

“Edelgard!” Lysithea called out, getting the attention of the two Black Eagles and stares from a few others around. “Do you have a moment to talk? In private?” As Lysithea suggested this she glanced at Hubert, who responded with a glare of his own.

“Of course,” Edelgard answered. She turned to Hubert and gave him a look, to which he nodded reluctantly. As he departed Edelgard faced the mage again. “Do you have somewhere in particular in mind or is here fine?”

Lysithea looked around them for someplace a bit more secluded but the best she could do was a smaller path, deciding that this wouldn’t do. “We could go to my room,” she said. “It should be private enough.”

“Lead the way,” Edelgard replied as she gave a quick nod. With that the two of them headed to the dorms, quickly arriving with Lysithea ushering them in before shutting the door behind her. Once inside the shorter girl made sure the window was closed as well before turning to face Edelgard.

“You seem a bit… tense,” Edelgard remarked at Lysithea’s behavior. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine,” the mage said. “I want to talk to you about what you’re doing with Professor Eisner.”

Edelgard’s face went flush as soon as the professor was mentioned and she sputtered out what some people would consider a reply. “I do- Wha- How do you know about that?!”

“Professor Eisner told me,” Lysithea responded. “I thought she would have told you. She suggested that I should join the two of you. She said that you have a  _ history _ with crests as well.”

At Lysithea’s explanation the house leader seemed to regain her composure, clearing her throat before she spoke. “Ah. I do, although my issues are not so much with crests themselves as it is with how people lust after them, willing to throw people away just to have the  _ illustrious privilege  _ of their child having one and the prestige it brings.”

“I have another question then, if you don’t mind,” the mage said, satisfied with the answer she was given. When Edelgard gave her a nod to ask her question, Lysithea continued. “Was your hair always white?” That question made Edelgard immediately go taut and worry filled her eyes, giving Lysithea her answer. “You’re the only person I’ve met our age with white hair. You also only wear clothes that cover your arms and legs.” As she spoke Lysithea began rolling up her sleeve, revealing methodical scars travelling along her skin and a much more ragged ring around her wrist. “I’m wondering if your reasons for hating crests are the same as mine.”

As Lysithea looked up from her arm, she saw that Edelgard’s expression had once again shifted. Where once there had been worry now there was a knowing horror and a raging fury. When she spoke her voice was rough, that fury inside her coming out through her single word.

“When.”

The force behind that lone utterance was almost staggering to the mage. To her merit Lysithea recovered her composure quickly, giving Edelgard an answer. “I was 3 when it started. By the time it was over I was 5. They called me mostly successful. That the second crest had taken, but there were unexpected side effects. As a result of the strain on my body my lifespan has been drastically shortened.”

“How,” Edelgard said. “How could people just let this happen. The fact that it occurred once was a tragedy. But more? And that’s if our groups were the only ones.” As she berated those who committed the atrocities Edelgard saw Lysithea and the anger in her voice subsided. “How long?” she asked the mage.   
  


“5-10 more years? 15 if I’m lucky,” Lysithea answered. “I know that you and the professor want to change the world. You want to make sure that people aren’t rewarded for their desire for crests. I want that too, but more than that I want to make sure my family is provided for. If you can guarantee me that, then I’ll join you two.”

“I can agree to that. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that your family is provided for,” Edelgard said amicably. “But who knows, maybe we’ll find a way to undo the damage done to you.”

Before these past few days, that suggestion would have gotten a dark chuckle out of the mage. But with what she had seen, who knew what was truly possible any more. “Maybe,” Lysithea replied. “I didn’t think it was something that could happen before, but I didn’t think that Professor Eisner would be able to transform into a giant creature either.”

\--12th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth didn’t know how to react to her current situation, and all of her trained mercenary reflexes were screaming at her for that. One second she was yelling at the archbishop and the next she was being embraced by the woman she was exploding at. She looked at Sothis over Rhea’s shoulder, who bore a similarly shocked expression.

“What’s happening here?” Byleth asked, her fiery temper smothered by this sudden change in tone.

Rhea pulled back from the professor, keeping her hands on Byleth’s shoulders. “I suppose that this would be strange to you,” she said. “I’m sorry that I’ve been treating you as I have. And I suppose I should give you the answers you deserve.” With that the archbishop sat back down, seemingly waiting for the professor to do the same. As Byleth cautiously sat down Rhea spoke up again. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. The reason I gave you your position is because I promised your mother that I would take care of you.”

At that Byleth froze once again. Had Rhea really been aware of who she is this whole time? If so, what else did she know about? Did she know about her talking to others about crests and the damage the church has done? Did she know about her and Edelgard?

“Don’t look so surprised, child,” Rhea said when she saw Byleth’s expression. “Even if the timing wasn’t suspicious you look so similar to your mother. It was unexpected to see someone who looked like the woman I raised walk through that gate.”

“You raised my mother?” Byleth questioned. It didn’t seem to make sense because the archbishop didn’t look much older than her father.

At the professor’s question Rhea’s face was painted with a look of surprise. “I assume your father told you about her? Although he may have left some details out. I know that her passing was quite painful for him.” As she said this the archbishop’s expression became one of solemn sadness. “I do wish he would have let me be there to help him. We have known each other longer than anyone else, and it hurt to watch him suffer.”

“Just how long have you known my father?” Byleth asked, her curiosity beginning to overwhelm her caution. “He doesn’t really talk about his past with me.”

As she admitted this Sothis voiced her objection. “Byleth, you need to be careful. She could still be trying to manipulate you.” Even with this warning, the professor couldn’t help but feel like she had to take advantage of this opportunity.

“Of course,” agreed Rhea. “I’ve known him for, hmmm, I would have to say 200 years? That is of course a rough estimate.” As she recalled the past she began to look happier, as if those times were warming her through.

That statement caused Byleth to gawk at the archbishop. How could either of them still be alive? And why had her father never told her? If this was true, it would mean that her father wasn’t as honest with her as she had thought. But also, if they knew each other for that long, why was he so distrustful of her now?

“I can tell that you weren’t expecting that answer. Perhaps you’re wondering how we both look so young. It’s to do with my blood. Or I suppose our blood,” Rhea said, gesturing to the two of them. “We are, to put it bluntly, not like other people. We’re stronger, faster, tougher, and live longer. When we give someone our blood, like I did with your father when he took a mortal wound for me, it conveys some of the effects onto them. It can help to heal them as well as vastly extending their life, which is how I’ve known your father for so long.”

Even with all of the crazy things she had been exposed to during her life, Byleth was having a hard time wrapping her head around this sudden influx of information. Between learning a bit about what she is and the revelation that her father is over 200 years old her head was spinning. Why hadn’t her father told her this? Did Rhea know more about what she is? Or about her mother?

“There is something else about our blood,” Rhea said, drawing Byleth back to the present. “Whoever receives it also gains our crest. This is part of why so few people know of it and why I suggest you keep it a secret. Long ago people like us were hunted for our blood. Tyrants thirsted for armies of unaging soldiers who were able to be given crests.”

“What about my mother?” Byleth wondered aloud. “Was she like me? Did she have the same blood?”

“She did,” Rhea answered with a nod. “Although she was also born with a condition that rendered her frailer than most people, which is why she didn’t leave the monastery except on rare occasions. It’s also what cost her her life during childbirth.” With this Rhea once again turned downcast and Byleth could tell that even after all this time she was still affected by Sitri’s passing.

“I’m sorry for bringing it up,” the professor commented regretfully.

The archbishop fixed Byleth with a bittersweet gaze at her apology before she spoke. “Don’t be. It’s natural to want to learn about where one comes from. And I know for a fact that Sitri would be overjoyed to know that you have become such a wonderful woman.”

Byleth blushed at Rhea’s words, not being used to such words of approval. However with that praise her caution went out the window and she began asking more about her mother, trying to learn more about the woman. The archbishop was more than willing to provide such information, and for the first time since she had arrived at the monastery Byleth spent time with the green haired woman without a bitter note of distrust tainting their conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I don't know how exactly but I got another chapter out. I blame my method of procrastination and avoiding real life stuff being writing. But anyways, let me know what you think down below in the comments, whether it's good, bad, or some glaring mistake that I've made which causes you to think less of me. I'll see you with a new chapter hopefully soon!


	25. In Search of Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even with the new information that Byleth received there are still questions that she wants answers too. But our professor isn't the only one trying to figure out what's going on with those around them...

\--14th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Since they had gotten back from the Red Canyon the professor had been strangely distant. The Black Eagles were still not having classes, instead the professor was setting aside time for one on one instruction while she finished recovering. She had also been actively spending time with the archbishop, which was a stark difference to her attitude when she first got back. All of this meant that Edelgard had had almost no time to talk with the professor since they got back. She did however have a cunning plan to get a hold of that time. This plan consisted of figuring out when the professor was free and ambushing her to discuss what was going on. That led to the current moment, where the princess was striding towards the Black Eagles classroom. She knew that Dorothea had finished her time a few minutes ago and Linhardt wasn’t slated until right before dinner, if he even showed up. As Edelgard approached the classroom however, she heard some voices coming from the open doors.

“I’m fine, Manuela,” said Byleth, “My injuries weren’t that bad and there were three healers when it happened.”

“Three  _ in-training _ healers,” Manuela countered. “And don’t tell me your injuries weren’t that bad. You came back wrapped up like a corpse! Even with immediate healing magic injuries like that can have long term consequences. As such I  **_demand_ ** that you let me give you a check up. The infirmary, tomorrow morning. I’ll drag you there myself if I have to.”

The next few seconds were silent save for the sound of clicking heels against stone before the Golden Deer professor fumed through the door. She didn’t notice the student as she presumably headed back to the aforementioned infirmary. Once she was out of sight Edelgard remembered that she was here for a purpose and continued into the classroom. As she walked in she caught sight of the professor leaning over her desk, head in her hands.

“Professor?” Edelgard called out to get her attention. “Are you alright?”

Byleth snapped up at the sound before relaxing as she realized who it was. “Edelgard, I’m glad to see you.”

“Oh?” she remarked inquisitively as she closed the door behind her. “Has your day been that bad? Or is there something else you want to talk about?” As she turned back towards the professor she could see that Byleth still wasn’t fully recovered. All of her movements seemed stiff and measured, as if trying to avoid stressing anything.

“Honestly it’s both,” Byleth answered. “Manuela has been hounding me to have her look me over and Catherine has been doing the same about how much I seem to get special attention from the archbishop.”

“Rhea has had a monopoly on your free time since we got back,” Edelgard commented. “But I agree with Professor Casagranda. You should have your wounds looked at. You still seem to be dealing with them in spite of how quickly you initially recovered.”

“I know,” the professor admitted. “I’m just worried about more people finding out about me. That’s something I want to talk with you about though.”

“I’m listening,” said Edelgard, trying to think of what this could be about. Was Byleth worried about one of the Black Eagles letting things slip? Or perhaps there was some other risk that she had found.

“I learned a bit more about what I am…” Byleth said. “It’s why I’ve been talking with the archbishop so much.” As Byleth spoke Edelgard noticed a reluctance in the professor’s demeanor. “She has the same blood as me,” she said shyly. “She’s like me. I don’t know if she can transform or if that’s something else, but she was able to tell me a lot about what it means.”

“What does it mean?” Edelgard asked, curious as to what Byleth had learned and why she was acting so timidly.

“Most of it we already know,” Byleth answered. “People like me are stronger, faster, and more resilient. The other things are that apparently we live longer. Like, a lot longer. I didn’t get her age, but Rhea’s been alive for over 200 years.”

Edelgard didn’t know how to react to that information. The idea that people could live that long was strange enough, but the archbishop didn’t even look middle-aged. That implied that she had much more time. Even more startling was that someone like that was the archbishop of the church. How long had she been in that position? And just how powerful is she? Byleth was a terrifying force to be reckoned with, but add another two centuries of experience on top of that and it would be nigh impossible to keep her from what she wanted.

“There’s more,” chimed Byleth, interrupting Edelgard’s thinking. “If someone is given my blood, their life would be extended greatly and they would gain my crest…”

“Oh,” Edelgard uttered. If the previous information had shaken her, this had knocked her to the ground. A way to give people crests. The very thing that was done to her existed within the woman she cared for. Now Byleth’s reluctance made sense. She had connected the two as well and was terrified of what it meant for them. The princesses as of yet unexplained distance during their time in the Red Canyon has also not helped if she had to hazard a guess.

“I’m sorry,” the woman professed, her cornflower eyes filled with sorrow.

Edelgard had noticed something as she got closer to Byleth. The woman had constantly been apologizing for things that were beyond her control. Her very existence had been framed as this burden upon others, but no one had taken time to correct that belief. Edelgard decided that if nobody was going to take that task on then she would shoulder it. Byleth deserved so much more than what she had gotten. With that in mind she stepped towards the saddened woman and, once she was around the desk, clutched her tightly while trying to reassure her. “You shouldn’t be sorry,” Edelgard whispered. “It wasn’t your choice to have this blood, and you haven’t done anything that needs an apology. Nor are you required to apologize for being alive.”

“But I could be a cause of what we’re trying to stop,” Byleth mewled. “How do you not hate me? I could do to so many people what was done to you!”

“Except you wouldn’t,” the princess comforted. “You seem to think that you are deserving of so much contempt, but in reality you deserve none of it. I know that I couldn’t help you in the Red Canyon, but you truly are a kind and wonderful person. You aren’t a monster or a freak or anything else that has earned such loathing. Everything I’ve seen you do has been done to help people around you. Even now you’re worrying that you’ve somehow hurt or offended me just by having something different about you.”

Edelgard leaned back from the embrace and gazed at Byleth, her heart warming as she saw the professor’s face now had a much more untroubled expression on it. Encouraged by that relief her hands floated up to the sides of Byleth’s face and she closed the gap between them again, this time to lay a soft kiss on her rough lips. Byleth immediately leaned into it, deepening it as if she was trying to convey all of her bountiful emotions for Edelgard through this physical connection. In turn Edelgard began to return the growing affection, thankful for the fact that she made sure she closed the door before she came in. But before things could get any more intense Byleth pulled back.

“As wonderful as that was,” Byleth said, her eyes cobalt from her arousal, “I think the classroom may not be the best place to make out. Maybe I’ll have to invite you to tea at that little shop in town sometime though.”

While she was disappointed at the end of the affection, the hope of a future outing with Byleth lifted Edelgard’s spirits up again. “I’ll hold you to that,” she asserted huskily. “In the meantime, I don’t want you to think that something outside of your control will ever change how I feel about you.”

Byleth looked like she was about to respond when there was a sudden knock at the door, causing the two of them to jump and Edelgard to step away from the professor. From the other side of the barrier Flayn could be heard as she called out.

“Professor Eisner?” she asked, her voice muffled by the wood. “Are you in there?”

“I guess that means our time is up for now,” Edelgard said with a wink. With that she walked to the door and let Flayn in, heading to the dormitories.’

\--15th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Immediately after breakfast Byleth made her way to the infirmary, hoping that she could quickly appease Manuela without having to explain  _ everything _ to the woman. While it was relieving to know that her students were mostly accepting, Byleth didn’t want to push her luck.

“So,” Sothis drawled as she floated alongside Byleth, “what’s your plan for not having her freak out at the whole ‘green blood’ thing?”

As she entered the second floor of the reception building, Byleth gave a whispered answer to her friend. “I don’t. But hopefully showing up will be enough to convince her I’m fine.”

Sothis just stared slack jawed at the professor. “That’s your plan?” she asked incredulously. “To hope that it works out in your favor?”

Byleth nodded a confirmation after she passed some monks as she got to the infirmary door. Before she could knock, the door flew open and revealed a very angry Manuela. Thankfully the physician’s expression changed to one of surprised gratitude as she realized who was standing in front of her.

“Professor Eisner, I’m glad to see you,” she said, her tone still holding a bit of an edge. “I thought I was going to have to make good on my promise to drag you here. Come on in and take your clothes off.” When Byleth hesitated her expression hardened and the edge in her tone sharpened. “I told you that I was going to give you a complete inspection. Now don’t make me repeat myself.”

At that Byleth entered the room and began to take off her clothes. She could feel an appraising stare upon her as Manuela inspected her. Once she was in her smallclothes Byleth turned and could feel the physician focus on the fresh bandages.

“Well,” Manuela said, beginning her inspection, “you still look a little stiff, although that isn’t too much of a worry. The fact that you have freshly wrapped injuries is though. Sit down why I look at them.”   
  
“Guess you’re telling her,” Sothis said sarcastically. “So much for hoping.”

As Manuela started unwrapping the bandages she started making small talk. “I honestly can’t believe I haven’t gotten you in here before. Even for a physical or something. That’s more on me however.” Her tone changed however when she got to the part of the bandage that had some of Byleth’s blood soaked into it. “Byleth, why didn’t you come to me sooner? This looks like it has some sort of infection to be oozing green like this.”

“It’s not,” Byleth answered with a sigh. “It’s my blood. It’s always been like this.”

“That doesn’t seem possible. In all my years I’ve never seen or heard anything about this,” Manuela argued. “Surely there must be some condition that causes it?”

“If there is, it hasn’t affected me yet,” replied Byleth. “Can we just assume it’s normal and get this over with. I don’t want to rush you, but I’m not really in a mood to explain everything.”

The songstress studied Byleth’s expression before giving in, deciding some kind of progress was better than none. “Fine. I’ll look over your wounds and then give you a closer inspection for any lasting damage. After that you can be on your way.”

The rest of the examination went on in silence, with Manuela giving the former mercenary a clean bill of health and an order to relax. As Byleth was getting dressed, however, Manuela brought up another point she had thought of.

“You have far less scars and signs of injury than I thought someone who was a mercenary would have,” she posed. “Even the beginner knights have more.”

“I guess I just had a good teacher,” Byleth said as she threw her coat over her shoulders. “If that’s all I’m going to go.” Before Manuela could say anything Byleth was out the door.

As she walked down the hallway Sothis appeared, walking beside her. “I know that you don’t like talking about that stuff,” she began, “but don’t you think that was a bit rude? Professor Casagranda was just trying to do her job.”

At Sothis’s words Byleth looked around for anyone nearby before ducking into a small alcove. “I know,” she admitted. “It’s just been a frantic week, for good or bad. It doesn’t help that I can’t just tune everything out anymore.” With that Byleth slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, where Sothis joined her.

“To be honest,” the green haired goddess said, “you ‘tuning everything out’ always made me a bit worried. Like what if you couldn’t come back? I know that it helps with the…” When she said this Sothis gestured vaguely, but Byleth understood that she meant the hecticness of her life. “But when it happens you feel… cold. Like you aren’t really alive.” The two of them sat there for a while, occasionally earning a stare from a passing monk, as Byleth gathered herself. 

\--16th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sothis asked as Byleth leaned on the wall overlooking the marketplace, waiting for her father to return. “I’m sure he had a reason for keeping those secrets, well, secret.”

“If he has good reasons, I want to know them,” she answered with a whisper. “These are things that I’ve been dealing with my whole life, and if he knew the answers I want to know why he didn't tell me.”

Sothis seemed like she was about to argue when a battalion of soldiers could be seen starting to cross the bridge towards the monastery. As they came closer Byleth saw her father at the back of the group on his horse. She felt relief as he waved at her when he saw his daughter waiting for him, his face lighting up as she returned the gesture. Soon enough the procession of knights were through the market and Jeralt came to a halt next to Byleth.

“It’s unusual to see you at the gates to greet me,” he said, a hint of pleasant surprise in his voice. “To what do I owe the honor?” As he asked this he offered his hand to Byleth, who grabbed it and hopped up on the horse with him.

“I found out some new things about me,” she said quietly so that only her father could hear.

“We could head to my office,” Jeralt suggested as he directed his steed towards the stable. 

Byleth nodded into his back as she held onto him, conflicted about this whole situation. On one hand she wanted to know why he hadn’t told her about how old he is, or about Rhea’s blood, or about her mother. On the other her gut was telling her that there had to be some reason as to why he didn’t tell her. He knew how much this weighed on her. As she tried to organize her thoughts however she felt the horse come to a stop and saw the stables around her. Immediately she hopped off to allow her father to do the same and the two of them began removing the horse’s tack. 

“So what have you been up to while I’ve been gone kid?” Jeralt asked, clearly enjoying spending time with Byleth. “You can’t have only been doing research. Did’ja catch any fish or find any rare plants in the greenhouse?”

“Aside from the searching for answers, nothing much out of the ordinary,” Byleth answered as she put up the saddle. “Just teaching and a bit of training.” She felt bad not telling him the whole truth, but she knew if she told him just what she had been doing he’d just be that much harder to get answers from.

Jeralt gave her a concerned look before speaking up again. “Are you alright, By? You look like something has you down?”

Byleth turned her attention to her father, staring at him for a second before Sothis grabbed her attention.

“He’s always been able to read you,” she said. “Even when everyone else couldn’t or wouldn’t understand you. I doubt he would do anything to hurt you. You don’t have to deceive him to get answers.”

“It’s just about the things I found out and how I found them out,” Byleth said to her father. 

He didn’t seem to be happy with that answer, but he let it go for the moment anyways. Once the horse was free from the equipment the two of them made their way to the captain’s office, Jeralt shutting the door behind them as they entered. He proceeded to walk to his desk and sit down, opening a drawer and retrieving a bottle of dark liquor from it. As he began filling his flask he spoke. “So, what did you learn? You don’t seem exactly happy about it.”

Byleth sat and tried to gather her thoughts for a second, still trying to decide on how to progress. Her father simply sat and waited, no sense of rush in his expression. As she finally made her decision she began to speak. “The first thing that I learned was about Sothis. She isn’t just some random girl trapped in my head. She’s the goddess.” As Jeralt heard this he looked at Byleth almost unbelievingly, causing her to continue. “It makes sense when you think about it. The ability to turn back time, the me being able to transform.”

Her father pondered this for several seconds before he gave his reply. “I mean, it definitely has evidence,” he said as he took a sip from his flask. “Where did you learn this? From how you’ve talked about the library it doesn’t seem like you’d find much information there.”

It was at this point that Byleth looked to Sothis, who was staring at her expectantly. Without turning back to her father she spoke. “I learned it when I spoke with Rhea about the sword.” Her attention was suddenly returned to her father as he made a sputtering sound and started coughing. “Are you ok?!” she asked with a startled tone. He raised a hand and after a few more coughs began to catch his breath.

“You talked to Rhea about this?” he said disbelievingly. “And you trust what she told you? Even with all that we know she’s lied about?”

“I didn’t ask her about Sothis!” Byleth exclaimed as she stood up. “I was trying to learn more about that  _ damned sword _ and she gave that information on her own. It isn’t like you’ve been totally honest either!”

“What do you mean?” Jeralt said, unsure of where this was going.

“Byleth, calm down,” Sothis urged. “Exploding at your father won’t help anything. Just breathe”

As she tried to follow Sothis’s advice Byleth felt that feeling of betrayal welling up inside her again, just like when she had first realized that her father had been hiding things from her. And the only way she felt like she could keep it from boiling over was to let some of it out. “I talked with Rhea more,” Byleth started, “and she told me how long you two have known each other for. She told me that you’re over 200 years old. She told me about mom, and how she had the same blood as me. Something that Rhea also has, which she gave to you to save your life.” As Byleth said this Jeralt couldn’t do anything more than sit behind his desk with a shocked expression on his face. “So why didn’t you tell me? You had to know some of this!”

Jeralt didn’t react, seemingly stunned by his daughter’s sudden venting of emotions that he hadn’t expected. Several seconds passed with nothing being said, the only sound being Byleth’s heavy breathing as she caught her breath. Once those seconds were over the blue haired woman stared at her father with a hurt look as he still hadn’t even started to reply and turned towards the door, bolting out of it and slamming it as she left. Once in the hallway she immediately started running, launching herself down the stairs and out of the building before heading towards the small graveyard that was in the monastery. She quickly found her mother’s grave and curled up behind it, leaning against the cool stone.

As she sat there quietly crying Byleth wished that she could just ignore everything going on inside of her. It felt like she was being torn in too many directions at once and was being ripped apart. The young professor sat there for an unknown amount of time before she heard the sound of someone approaching the graves and tried to quiet herself. Whoever it was came to a stop nearby before they sat down, and a familiar voice rang out.

“I think I really messed up this time, Sitri,” Jeralt said quietly. “I kept some things from our daughter, hoping that in doing so I’d not add to her worries, but instead I’ve hurt her.” There was the faint sound of something sloshing before he continued. “I’m still learning so much about you too. I didn’t know that you had the same blood as Byleth. To be fair I never saw you bleed through. But even you had secrets I didn’t know about. I’m not one to talk though… 200 years, huh? Honestly I’ve forgotten most of them. They all just blur together. The ones with you though are still clear as crystal though. Maybe that’s why it hurts so much. I remember what I’ve lost so clearly.” Byleth heard another slosh before the sound of quiet weeping reached her ears. Her father’s voice grew much more splintered after that. “I’m so afraid… of losing ‘er. I’d do anything to kep her safe… I hope that you don think I’mma terrible father… I know By does… I could see it’n her eyes how much I hurt her… It’s all I’ve ever wanted to not do and I did’t… I made her tink that I don’t trust her… She’s the only un I trust now… Maybe I’m just too ol… Too tird… I’m just so tird… She’s the only thing that keeps me goin… Ever since you died the only reason I’ve had to stick aroun was her… And now ’m ruinin that too…”

Byleth finally stood up at that, unable to listen to any more of what her father was saying. She looked at her father, drunk out of his mind as he was, and couldn’t help but feel awful for causing the sight before her.

“Oh, Bylth!” Jeralt slurred as he realized his daughter was here. “When did’ja get ‘ere?”

“I’ve been here the whole time, dad,” she answered, walking over to the drunk man. “Let’s get you to bed, ok? Then we can talk later” While she said this she picked her father up off the ground and slung his arm over her shoulders. The two of them headed towards the captain’s room, and as she walked Byleth felt like she had a little bit better of an understanding about her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once more! I am back and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, which had a bit of everything. And by that I mean fluff and angst. But still, some progress was made and now Byleth knows her dad a bit better. As always, feel free to let me know what you think, whether it's good, bad, or just to point out one of my probably many mistakes.


	26. Things Long Awaited

\--17th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Jeralt--

The first thing the knight captain became aware of as he began to wake up was a splitting headache. That told him that he had had a bit too much to drink last night. But now he was left to wonder why? He let out a groan as he started to open his eyes, immediately seeing that he was in his room. Slowly the events of last night came back to him and Jeralt remembered what had led to the drinking. Byleth had learned about his age from Rhea and he had just sat there like an idiot as she listed off her questions and waited for an answer.

Immediately Jeralt realized he had to go find Byleth and try to explain himself a little at least. As he rolled over in his bed however he saw a blue mop of hair at the side of the bed. As he shuffled closer he saw his daughter asleep, leaning against the side of the bed. She must have found him drunk off his ass and brought him back here, despite having every right to be angry at him. He reached out and placed his calloused hand on her head, and as he did that the thoughts of all the times she had made sure he was taken care of, even when he brought trouble on himself. 

Quickly enough he felt Byleth stir under his hand as she came to. “Hey kid,” Jeralt said softly. That was enough to get Byleth’s attention, causing her to sit up a bit and turn around to face her dad. “I owe you some answers, don’t I?” he said, earning a nod from his daughter. As he sat up on the bed Byleth got up as well, pulling up a chair. He rubbed his eyes, unsuccessfully trying to relieve some of the pressure behind them.

“There’s water if you need it,” Byleth said as she gestured to the floor next to the bed. Jeralt leaned over and saw a metal pitcher with a mug next to it. 

“Thanks,” the old man said. “You mind pouring me some?”

As she reached for the pitcher Byleth nodded, and while she was pouring water into the clay mug she started asking him a question. “Why didn’t you tell me about how old you are?” 

Jeralt took the mug as Byleth offered it, gulping down the cool liquid before answering. “To be honest, I just didn’t think it was important. Rhea did something to you, but it doesn’t seem like the same thing was done to us. I don’t have green blood or the ability to change shape. I’m certainly not nigh indestructible. So I didn’t tell you because it would just be a distraction.”

“But you got Rhea’s blood, and that’s what did this to you. So didn’t you know she has green blood?” Byleth asked.

“The closest I’ve ever gotten to seeing Rhea bleed is when I took that lance to the chest for her.” As he said this he held the mug out for Byleth to fill again, and when she took it he continued. “One moment I’m on the ground and everything is going cold and the next I’m back here being tended to by nurses. A while later Rhea came in and explained what happened, and how because she gave me blood I was given her crest and that I would age much slower. That’s all I know. She told me to not tell anyone about it, mainly because of how crazy things would be if people learned they could get crests from her blood. And I guess yours too, huh.”

  
“She did say that,” Byleth commented. “But then did you know about mom?”

As Jeralt began to answer Byleth handed back the mug and he held it in his hands, looking down as he thought of Sitri. “Your mother had a lot of secrets, even from me. I didn’t know that she had blood like yours, mainly because I never saw her bleed. She led a very sheltered life and was kept from most things that could hurt her. The closest she ever got to a fight was patching me up after a mission. She had some oddities, but like my age I didn’t think that they were important, and the habit of keeping quiet about it kicked in. Her ears were a bit pointy, and some of her teeth were a bit longer, although you didn’t really notice unless you got up close or knew about them. But she didn’t like people knowing about those. She was bullied as a kid over it, so she kept it hidden.” As Jeralt looked up he saw the Byleth didn’t look satisfied with that answer. “I don’t know what else to tell you, kid. That’s all I knew.”

“It’s not that,” Byleth said, her tone somber. “Well, not entirely that. I learned other things as well. About Sothis and the sword.”

Jeralt thought back to yesterday, remembering Byleth bringing that up. “You called it the ‘damned sword’ or something, right?”

“Yeah,” sighed Byleth. “I learned why it feels so wrong to use. Here’s what I found while you were gone…”

\-- 23rd of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As she walked into the familiar tea shop with Edelgard, Byleth couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement, although it was hard to tell whether it was because she was doing something ‘forbidden’ or just because she was on an actual date with Edelgard. As Edelgard asked for a private room all Byleth could think of was how lucky she was. Not only was Edelgard amazing, so kind and confident, but even knowing about Byleth’s secrets she still wanted to be with the former mercenary.

While Byleth had been thinking Edelgard had gotten them a private parlour and grabbed the blue haired woman’s hand, bringing her back to reality. Hand in hand the two of them followed the waiter into their personal getaway. Once the door was closed Edelgard sat down on the couch, pulling Byleth down beside her.

Edelgard picked up the menu and held it for both of them to see as she spoke. “So, what do you have planned for our afternoon free from the normal duties of our life? I know that we can’t go galavanting around, but you must have some kind of idea.”

“I thought it would be nice to just learn more about each other,” Byleth answered. “Neither of us had a whole lot of time learning about the other, so why don’t we fill in those gaps? Learn things like what our favorite foods and colors are. What we find the most comforting when we’re sad. Those kinds of things.” When she suggested this, Edelgard looked like she wasn’t quite sure about the suggestion, causing Byleth to quickly continue. “We don’t have to do that though. I’m sure we can talk about other things.”

“It’s fine, Byleth,” the princess replied. “I think it’s a good idea… I’m just a bit unused to sharing such information about myself.”

“You can ask me questions first, if that makes you more comfortable,” Byleth suggested. “It’s only fair since I suggested it.”

In response Edelgard nodded, handing the menu to Byleth as she gained a contemplative expression. A few seconds later she asked her first question. “It’s just one of the questions you listed, but would you tell me what your favorite color is?”

Byleth felt her face brighten at Edelgard’s request. “I have two!” she answered immediately. “One is forest green, and the other is orange. The green is because it’s the color of Sothis’s hair, and the orange is because my dad’s tabard has always been that color. Both remind me of people who’ve always been there for me.” As she said the last sentence she leaned into Edelgard before finishing her answer. “Maybe I’ll have another favorite color soon.”

For a second Edelgard had a confused look on her face before realizing what Byleth was suggesting, her face going rosy. “Tha- I- We- hmmm.” Once she stopped sputtering she crossed her arms in a pout.

“It’s fun to be on the other end of the flustering,” Byleth admitted. “You look so sweet when you pout.”

“I don’t look sweet,” the princess muttered, her periwinkle eyes showing her true delight at the compliment.

As she saw the gorgeous woman next to her smile, Byleth’s attention couldn’t help but be drawn to her lips. On an impulse she pitched forward and pressed her lips against Edelgard’s smile. Immediately she was rewarded as Edelgard pushed against her in return with her soft lips. Emboldened by the reciprocation, Byleth brought her hand up to Edelgard’s hair, digging her fingers into the silky platinum strands and pulling the two of them closer together. This earned her a moan from her partner who in turn began sliding her hands up Byleth’s back. As Edelgard’s hands roamed over her body Byleth felt a warmth spreading through her, which spiked as she felt Edelgard’s tongue nudge against her lips. As she opened her mouth and let her Edelgard in, her girlfriend began to take control of the situation and drove Byleth back against the arm of the couch, sliding her hands under Byleth’s shirt and over her athletic stomach.

Byleth had gone farther than this with others, but with Edelgard even just kissing felt so different. It was like her entire body waking up from a foggy dream and now everything was as clear and refreshing as a mountain spring. Even with this refreshing feeling, however, Byleth couldn’t help but start to feel overwhelmed as Edelgard leaned over her and explored her body with her hands.

For a second she broke the kiss to let out a breathy moan, and during this short interlude Edelgard spoke up. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long, Byleth. To have you to myself and not have to worry about anything else for a while.”

At those words Byleth opened her eyes and saw the gorgeous sight of Edelgard, face flushed and eyes dark from the moment, leaning over her. She tried to express just how the woman on top of her made her feel, but all she could get out was a needy whine that served to prompt Edelgard into action again. In a flash Edelgard was pressing herself into Byleth, her soft lips coating the older woman’s neck with rough and heady kisses while her hands continued upwards, bringing Byleth’s shirt with it. All Byleth could do in response was grab tighter onto Edelgard, entangling them further as her hands sought any grip to keep her grounded in the heat of the moment.

“I know you told me to leave you alone,” a voice said calmly, dragging Byleth from the sea of revelry she was in and causing her to push Edelgard off of her out of fear of being discovered. As soon as the two women were apart Byleth looked around and saw Sothis on the opposite couch, laying with her head on her arm. “However, I thought you might want me to stop you from going all the way with your student on the first date.”

“Are you alright?” Edelgard asked, her voice filled with worry. “Did I go too fast?”

“Sothis, you obnoXIOUS SHIT!” Byleth yelled, startling Edelgard. “And no, you didn’t go too fast, Edelgard. I just got an unwanted visitor. Even if she does have a point.”

“Oh,” uttered Edelgard, still not fully aware of what was happening if her expression was to be believed. “What’s her point?”

“That despite how much I was enjoying it,” Byleth said, still glaring at Sothis, “the point of the date was to get to know each other. Although she used less kind phrasing.”

With that explanation Edelgard seemed to become fully aware of just what was happening and where they were, her face flushing with embarrassment instead of arousal this time. “Ah. That’s a fair reason. For the record, however, I was enjoying it as well.” With that both the women smiled at each other, glad to know that the affection was mutually enjoyed.

“Well, now that you two aren’t seconds away from getting into each other I’ll take my leave,” Sothis said, fading away. Just before she vanished completely a smirk appeared on her face and she gave a parting gift of sass. “Have fun!”

Before Byleth could think of any reaction to the goddess’s snark Edelgard started speaking. “Well, if we are going to continue with the date as planned, we should order something.” She picked up the menu from where it had been discarded on the floor and began leafing through it. Byleth settled next to Edelgard once more, this time actually discussing the menu with her. Soon they had settled on what to order and called the waiter who placed it for them. This left them with some time to kill, so Edelgard brought up the questions once again.

“So, I know your favorite colors,” she remarked, “but what about other favorites of yours? Like your favorite time of day, or what you love to do on a day off?”

Byleth lit up once again at Edelgard’s questions before she started giving answers. “I like mornings just before the sun comes up. It’s so calm. When we travelled with the mercenaries it was always the quietest. The people who stayed up late had gone to bed and the hustle and bustle of the company hadn’t started for the day. I would always try to wake up early and look out over wherever we were staying.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Edelgard said as she placed her hand on top of Byleth’s. “I can imagine you watching a camp from a hill as the sun rises behind you.”

“What about you?” Byleth asked, curious to learn more about the woman beside her. “What’s your ideal day off?”

Edelgard shied away a bit at the question but did begin to speak when Byleth gave her hand a light squeeze. “This may seem childish, but my ideal day off would be staying in bed and eating sweets. With how much work I usually have to do I don’t really get to enjoy time to myself aside from lonely minutes or evenings once everything is done. Even the time for this date was something I had to work hard for.”

When Edelgard finished Byleth could tell that she was still worried that she would be seen as childish, so she asked her a question she thought would help. “What kinds of sweets?”

It was obvious that Edelgard hadn’t been expecting that question by how she stared at Byleth before she answered. “All kinds I guess.” As she continued she got more and more into describing her ideal assortment. “Pastries and chocolates and candies of all kinds, piled up on layered trays. Some with fillings and others that were topped with fruits. And I could just spend a day forgetting about my duties and simply lounging without getting up at all.”

“That sounds like a great time,” Byleth commented. “I’m sure you’ll get to do it one day. You deserve it.”

“Just because I deserve it doesn’t mean I’ll get it,” Edelgard replied, her eyes showing a bit of sadness.

Byleth spoke up again, trying to improve Edelgard’s mood and get her away from the sad thoughts in her head. “Then we’ll just have to make it happen, won’t we.” As she said this she laid a kiss on Edelgard’s cheek, the combination of words and action causing her to blush once more.

“I guess we will,” the woman responded, her periwinkle eyes brightening as she brought her hand up to her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That happened. I hope you enjoyed it. ;) Let me know what you thought of it in the comments.


	27. Roars of a Beast on the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knights of Serios have finally tracked down the bandit Miklan, causing the Black Eagles to set off towards their mission. With one last warning about the situation Byleth leads those in her care into the Conand Tower

\--29th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Despite the fact that it was early afternoon on a weekday, Byleth was not in her classroom. Cyril had come in and told her that the archbishop wanted to speak to her immediately, forcing her to leave her students on their own for the moment. Now she was cresting the steps to the second floor of the reception hall as possibilities of what could be the reason for such an urgent request flew through her mind. Of all the explanations she could think of, her class's mission was the most likely one.

“Professor Eisner,” Rhea called out as she crossed the threshold into the audience chamber. “I apologize for the disruption, but I have news of the thief who stole the Hero’s Relic. He and his band are holed up in an abandoned tower on the border between Fraldarius and Galatea lands. You and your class are to leave at once to retrieve the relic. I need not remind you that this is a matter of dire urgency. The fact that it has taken this long to locate the bandits and there have been no disasters yet is fortuitous, but I doubt it will last. The knights going along with you are being informed as we speak and will meet you at the exit of the monastery.”

“I’ll get my students ready,” Byleth responded. “Once we’ve got our equipment we’ll meet up with the knights and head out.” With that Byleth turned around to collect her students but was stopped by the archbishop once again.

“Byleth,” Rhea said, her tone less reserved this time. “I want you to know that there’s more at risk than just the bandit using the relic for his own ends. Those who have tried to use the power of the relics without the proper crest have met terrible fates. Fates worse than death. While I hold no sympathy for Miklan’s actions, not even he deserves what may come.”

Those ominous words drew Byleth’s curiosity. “What kind of terrible fate? I don’t want to endanger my students or the knights joining us.”

Rhea looked pensive as she answered the young woman. “The fate that may come about is the power of the relic overwhelming him. Relics require crests to wield because that crest keeps the person safe from its power lashing back at them and changing them into a pained beast that seeks only to destroy. But if you can pacify Miklan before he tries to draw on that power, then that won’t be an issue.”

The thought of a relic turning someone into a monster when they try to use it made Byleth think of the sword currently in her room. Why would the church give out such dangerous weapons without letting the wielders know? And how many times had this happened before? “I’ll do my best,” Byleth answered as she pondered the questions in her head. She turned around once more and headed back to her students to give them the news.

“So, even with this new found connection with Rhea, she’s still keeping her cards close,” Sothis commented as Byleth started down the stairs. “At least it earned us some additional warning though. Suddenly having to fight a monster would have thrown a wrench into any plans we could come up with.”

Byleth nodded as she descended the stairs, knowing that Sothis was right on both matters. Despite their discussions about the relics, she hadn’t told Byleth about this yet. She knew that they were made from bones of dead people like her, but that didn’t explain them ‘lashing out’ at people who try to use them. It made them seem like they were more than just… bones. Like they were aware of who was using them.

That thought sent a shiver down the professor’s spine as she walked into her classroom once more. As the students turned to her she cleared her throat and made the announcement. “Everyone is to gather their mission equipment and meet at the front gate. The bandits we’ve been tasked to take care of have been located.”

There was a murmur through the students as they quickly stood up and exited the classroom, Byleth following behind them. While most of the students started towards the dorms, the professor headed to the Blue Lions classroom. As she got near she heard a muffled lecture which was cut short as she knocked on the door. “Come in,” Hanneman’s voice called through the wood. At that Byleth opened the door and the Blue Lions professor spoke up as he realized who it was. “Professor Eisner! How can we help you today?”

“I’m here to collect Miss Galatea,” Byleth began. “My class and I are departing for our mission and as we discussed she’s joining us. I would wait until classes are over, but we’ve been told to leave as soon as possible.”

“Ah,” Hanneman uttered as he brought his hand to his chin. “I suppose that it’s late enough that she won’t miss too much class. Very well. Miss Galatea, you’re dismissed.” Almost immediately he went back to lecturing while Ingrid hurriedly packed up and walked over to Byleth.

“Thank you for taking me with you,” the blonde student expressed. “What do I need to do?”

“Just gather up your equipment and steed and meet us at the front gate,” Byleth answered. “Once we’re underway I’ll explain more.” Ingrid nodded her acknowledgement before rushing off to one end of the dorms while Byleth headed in to the other end. As she entered her room Sothis spoke up again.

“Should you bring  _ it _ ?” she asked, staring at the far corner of the room. “I normally wouldn’t suggest it, but it would be useful if we have to deal with some sort of relic powered beast.”

Byleth turned to the sword, wrapped in a sheet and partially hidden behind the desk. She hadn’t picked it up since she had finished her first talk with Rhea about it. But once again she couldn’t deny that Sothis was right. Byleth also knew that the goddess was just as wary of the weapon as she was, so she wouldn’t suggest it if she thought it wouldn’t be necessary. She hesitantly moved closer to the covered blade, contemplating Sothis’s question. She began to reach out, but her hand stilled over the hilt of the weapon. Byleth could feel that same familiar chill emanating from the relic that she had felt whenever she wielded the blade, as if it was calling to her. She had tried to describe it to Edelgard, tried to describe the way that the sword felt as if it had been a part of her for her entire life while at the same time like this foreign  _ thing _ that made her feel so cold it felt like she was burning to her very core. And to her credit Byleth thought that Edelgard understood her description better than most would, although the reason for that understanding was awful.

After what felt like an eternity Byleth wrapped her fingers around the sword, picking it up but keeping the cloth around it. “I’ll bring it with me, but only as a last resort,” she said, unsure if it was to give an answer to Sothis or herself. She quickly gathered a few other essentials in a pack before heading towards the meeting point.

\--30th of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Ingrid--

When she had asked Professor Eisner to join the Black Eagles on her mission Ingrid had received the advice to not let her desire to see Miklan get what he deserves cloud her senses. And because of that she had spent time thinking of why this mattered so much to her. Sylvain was her childhood friend, but that didn’t quite encompass the situation, as Dimitri and Felix shared that role as well. No, it wasn’t that. It was the fact that she and Sylvain were in the same situation. They were merely bargaining chips for their families, to be used for their crests with anything else being secondary.

But that begged the question of why stopping Miklan mattered so much. So here she was, camping on the way to the tower where the bandit in question was hiding out. Despite how tired they must be after such a long day’s march, she could see the other students talking among themselves, somehow able to relax as the battle of tomorrow loomed over them. Meanwhile, she was over here trying to find the answer to the question that Professor Eisner had accidentally posed to her.

“You know, you are free to join us if you wish,” a voice said, surprising Ingrid. She immediately turned to see who it was and found herself looking at Ferdinand. “I don’t know what’s troubling you, but it may help to take your mind off of it.”

“Thank you, but I’m afraid what has me thinking is something that is best resolved before tomorrow,” Ingrid answered.

“Well then maybe I can be of assistance?” responded Ferdinand. “I wouldn’t want anyone to lose sleep over any matter, so what is it that troubles you?” As he spoke the orange haired boy sat down besides Ingrid, clearly intent on finding some sort of solution.

“I guess you might be able to help,” Ingrid conceded. “It’s the leader of the bandits. He’s Sylvain’s brother, and something is driving me to make sure he is brought to justice. More than just a desire to see him punished. I thought it was to make sure that the suffering he caused to Sylvain was avenged, but I don’t think I’d feel this way if it was someone who had done the same to any of my other friends. So why do I want to do this?”

Ferdinand sat for a second, looking at the group of students and their professor before he spoke. “I recently learned a lesson that came at a high price,” he said solemnly. “I acted in a manner most unbecoming, and in doing so I hurt someone who is nothing but kind by making them believe that all of their doubts about themselves were true. All because I didn’t think to ask why they did what they did. So perhaps you could take a piece of this lesson and apply it to your situation. Don’t ask why you want to do this, and instead think about what you gain from this course of action. If I had asked that question about the person I hurt, perhaps I wouldn’t have committed such an abhorrent act.”

“What I gain,” Ingrid muttered. What did she gain from this? Perhaps Sylvain would gain some peace of mind from the fact that one of his tormentors was gone, but why did that matter so much? Infact, he had seemed rather aloof about the entire thing. And even if Ingrid hadn’t tagged along, the task would have been completed and Miklan would have been brought to justice. So what did she gain from this? What was Miklan to her? As she thought about this, the previous thought of how similar Ingrid and Sylvain’s situations were came to mind. What if instead of tormenting Sylvain, the person she was going after had been tormenting her instead? All because she was born with a crest and they weren’t? Would she gain that same peace of mind? But if she did, then why did she need to do it? To show that she could?

As that last thought crossed Ingrid’s mind, the pieces began to fall into place. Miklan was just a convenient representation of the people who thought of her and Sylvain as nothing more than their crests. And she wanted to show that she was stronger than those people. Those who tried to force them into these roles because of something they had no choice in. To prove that she was more than just a crest to be bartered with. With the suddenness of the realization, the words slipped out of Ingrid’s lips. “I get to prove them wrong,” she whispered.

“Prove who wrong?” Ferdinand asked, reminding the girl that she wasn’t alone.

“Oh, nothing,” Ingrid deflected. “Your advice helped though, so thank you for that.”

Ferdinand perked up at that. “I’m glad to have been able to give any assistance.”

“I think I’ll take you up on your offer to join you and the other students,” Ingrid said as she stood up, confident in the belief that she could prove to be worth more than just her crest.

\-- 31st of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

When the professor had first joined the students at the front gate, it had been obvious that there was more than was being told from the covered relic on Byleth’s back. From the look she had received at that time however she could tell that bringing it up then would do nothing, asn so she had left it alone. Now as the tower came into sight she was ordering the group to a halt.

“Everyone gather around,” Byleth called out. “I want to go over our plan before we begin our approach, and there are some things I need to tell everyone. Firstly, I want a third of the knights to guard the entrance of the tower once we go in. We don’t know if there are any bandits currently away, and I don’t want us trapped between two forces without some kind of defense.”

With that she listed off the group that would be staying at the bottom of the tower, which was mostly the less experienced knights with a smattering of more experienced ones. Edelgard had to admit that she was a bit surprised by that choice. Knowing the professor’s level of expertise Edelgard would have put more experienced knights at the entry so that if there was an assault they would be able to better fend it off.

“Now that that’s settled,” the professor announced, “there’s the other issue. Because our enemy has a relic, we need to take Miklan down as soon as possible. Despite not being able to utilize the full power of the relic, it’s still dangerous. Lady Rhea informed me that should he try to use the relic fully, there could be backlash that could cause him to… change.”

“What do you mean ‘change’?” the leader of the knights, Gilbert, asked.

Byleth looked to the armored man as she answered. “I was told that he could undergo a monstrous transformation, but I don’t know to what extent. Which is why it’s so important that we take him out quickly. If he transforms, we’ll be against an enemy whose abilities are unknown in a confined space.”

Murmurs ran through the knights at that announcement, their worry evident on their faces. Edelgard looked at the other Black Eagles and saw some of the same concern on their faces but most of them seemed to be handling the news rather well, steeling themselves for what they expected to come. This wasn’t exactly a surprise as they had been exposed to the darker truth about the relics already. Shockingly Ingrid seemed to have braced herself as well despite being unexposed to this strange realm of secrets. 

“If any of you wish to stay with the group guarding the base of the tower, you can,” Byleth offered. “I’m not going to force anyone to join us on this mission if they don’t feel like they can handle that if it happens. In fact if you think you would freeze up, I would prefer you stay behind. I don’t want any unnecessary death. So if you want to guard instead, simply raise your hand.” Once Byleth finished a few of the knights’s hands rose, and the professor nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m glad that those of you who don’t think you can handle it know your limits. It’s an invaluable skill to have. If anyone else decides they wish to stay with the guard team, simply let Gilbert or me know before we enter the tower. But for now let’s continue to the tower.” During the last stretch of the journey several more of the knights opted to stay with the rear guard, but even with these changes they still had more than half of the knights going with them to apprehend Miklan.

As they reached the base of the tower a cold wind started blowing from the east, and in that direction clouds the color of slate could be seen billowing in their direction. At the doors Byleth was attempting to open them but they appeared to be barred from the inside.

“That suggests that they’re prepared for us,” Gilbert remarked.

Byleth turned from the door and began walking towards one of the knights in the guard group as she answered. “It’s not unexpected. There’s nowhere for us to stealthily approach from, so this was our only option.” As she got to the knight Byleth focused her gaze on her. “Can I borrow your axe?” she asked, the soldier handing it over with a curious expression. Without an answer the professor headed back to the door and took up a stance Edelgard recognized immediately. It looked as if she was going to swing the axe down over her head, but the solid wood seemed far too close. 

Before she could say that however Byleth let out a mighty roar and swung the axe, landing it in the thin gap between the wooden barriers and a violent crack followed. Wrenching the weapon from the doors Byleth turned to the knight she had borrowed the weapon from and spoke up as if nothing had happened. “You can have your axe back,” she said as she held it out. After the woman retrieved her weapon Byleth walked up to the left door and pushed against it, visibly straining but causing the wood to move. 

As she did Edelgard saw that the beam that had been previously barring their entrance was broken, partially cleaved and partially shattered. Edelgard stared at the destroyed timber for a second before looking at the rest of those with her and seeing that they seemed to be just as impressed, if not more so, as the princess.

“Let’s go. They’re bound to know we’re here now,” Byleth ordered as she headed through the open door, leading the charge.

Once they were in the tower it became clear that this fight would be a slog. The way to the top circled around, with various rooms on the path up and no cover from above. As if to illustrate this point, people armed with bows leaned over the path above them and began firing arrows down at the group.

“Anyone with a shield, provide cover from the archers!” yelled Byleth as she started up the spiraling path. “Clear rooms as you go and use them to recover as needed. Archers, focus on pinning down the archers as soon as you can!”

With these instructions the knights and students began to slowly advance. Most of the rooms they looked into were empty, although a few had one or two bandits who were lying in wait to ambush the knights as they went past. Despite a few of the knights having to fall back due to injuries the group arrived at the top floor of the tower relatively quickly. At the highest level there was a large chamber, where, in addition to more bandits like the ones they had fought thought to get here, several more well equipped bandits resided along with the one who was the cause of this entire situation, Miklan.

“Well, I can see why my men had such trouble,” the bandit leader announced. “The dogs of the church may not be the brightest, but they always have been well equipped and well trained. Although some of you seem out of place. Did they run out of dogs and send pups?”

Miklan’s joke earned a laugh from the men behind him, but Byleth seemed to pay him no mind. Instead she appeared to be taking stock of the bandit’s around him, thinking up some plan of attack. Not everyone was handling the verbal barbs as cooly however.

“Do you have nothing better to say, Miklan?” Ingrid called back in response. “Or are you going to continue using insults from your childhood?” As Ingrid spoke the professor shifted her attention to the angry student but didn’t stop her. Meanwhile, Miklan replied to the remark.

“Well, if it isn’t little Miss Galatea,” he said, a slimy, venomous tone dripping off his words. “You do still go by that name, right? Your father hasn’t sold you off to pay for his debts, has he? And if you’re here, where’s my useless little brother? Did he decide that I’m not worth the time like our father did? Or is he too busy sleeping with every woman he can trick into his bed?” His words seemed to have the desired effect as he smirked when Ingrid let out a yell and began to charge, but before she could get more than a few feet Byleth had stepped in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere, and brought her to a halt.

“Miklan, is it?” the professor questioned, already knowing the answer. “I’ll give you one chance. Hand over yourself and the lance. There doesn’t need to be any more bloodshed today.”

The bandit just stared at her as if she had spoken in tongues for a few seconds before giving his answer. “And what, save it for tomorrow? The only way this ends is with either all of you dead or all of us dead. And I don’t plan on dying today.”

With that the bandits charged at the group of knights and students with Miklan and the better equipped ones holding back. Despite being ill equipped and having less training than the knights the brigands were still a threat due to the majority of the knights still being stuck on the path up to this level. Immediately those who were on this floor were put onto the defensive, trying to deal with being attacked from multiple foes at once.

Edelgard personally found herself being attacked by three of the bandits, perhaps thinking that she was an easy target due to her smaller stature. The first of the three didn’t have time to regret that assumption as he attacked,missing wide and opening himself up for Edelgard’s axe to slam into his ribs. As he fell to the ground the princess swung the now bloody weapon at the other two, flinging drops of blood at them and driving them back. With this space she began to push back but before she could ready another attack an arrow flew past her and embedded itself in one of the remaining bandit’s neck, dropping him to the ground with a gurgle. With that Edelgard knew that Bernadetta was safe and there was one less bandit to deal with. The last of the trio seemed to realize this as well as she wiped the blood from her face.

As soon as she could see the bandit lunged forward with her lance furiously. Edelgard simply sidestepped the attack and readied to attack the bandit when a familiar shriek rang out, causing her heart to sink. In dodging the attack she had left Bernadetta open and now the bandit was simply going to continue on to the archer. Even as she put all of her strength and speed into the attack Edelgard knew that it wasn’t going to land in time when suddenly the bandit came to a violent halt as a sword pierced through her. Underneath the bandit the professor could be seen, lifting up the now dead woman as she stood and pushing the body off her sword. Without even stopping Byleth was suddenly gone again, sprinting off through the battle.

With a quick glance around Edelgard didn’t see any other bandits and ran to Bernadetta. “Are you alright?” the princess worriedly asked the archer.

“I- I think so?” Bernadetta stuttered, still recovering from the shock of that attack.

“That’s good,” Edelgard said, looking back over the battle to make sure they weren’t about to be targeted. “How about you fall back a bit more?”

Bernadetta nodded and ran back behind the knights, vanishing into the knights. Turning back to the battle Edelgard saw that now Miklan and the bandits who had held back were joining the fray. Even with that boost the brigands were still falling and now the knights were pushing forward. As she joined the assault Edelgard could tell that this fight was already over as the bandits just continued to fall, their numbers too thinned to provide any benefit. Quickly the only one left was Miklan, clutching his leg and the lance as he leaned against the wall.

“Not bad for a bunch of whelps,” the bandit leader remarked. “But if you think I’ll give in just because you’ve killed my men you’re mistaken!”

As he spoke he launched himself at Byleth, but before he had taken more than two steps a red glow enveloped the relic and an ooze slid from the lance and began to slither along the bandit. Almost immediately Miklan let out an agonized scream and collapsed to the ground. Quickly the sludge consumed the man, silencing the pained screeches.

“Everyone start falling back!” commanded Byleth. “Injured first! Armored fighters with me, mages fall in behind!” As she gave these orders the professor pulled the relic from her back and pulled the cloth from it.

While the students and knights fell into line the dark ooze began to take form, shifting to tower above everyone. It started to harden, with distinct features emerging from it’s nebulous form. Large plates appeared on its body and beneath those sinewy cords of muscle could be seen sliding over one another. Each of the beast’s limbs were tipped with a multitude razor sharp claws the length of a hand and as its mouth formed frightening teeth that looked like they could pierce armor. Along its back bony protrusions sprouted and finally, as the sludge seemed to seep back into the creature, it’s glowing red eyes appeared and focused on the group before it.

As the creature let out a cacophonous wail a sense of twisted familiarity washed over Edelgard. Looking over the monstrosity she couldn’t help but feel like it was a malicious parody of Byleth’s other form. It lacked wings and it didn’t have the same scales, but the proportions were the same and so many of their features were shared. She looked to Hubert and could tell that he was thinking the same thing as he readied a spell.

When she looked back to the beast Edelgard saw it stalking toward the group, closing what little distance there was. As soon as it was within range the mages started volleying spells at it, causing it to recoil back momentarily. The beast quickly recovered but didn’t immediately approach again, seemingly dissuaded by the magical assault. The professor however seemed to not believe this as she shouted out a panicked order.

“EVERYONE GET DOWN!” she yelled as she leapt back and slammed into Hubert and Linhardt behind her, dragging them to the ground.

Edelgard saw a strange glow from the monster, suddenly aware of why Byleth had shouted. Following the woman’s example she grabbed Caspar who was next to her and pulled the two of them back and to the ground, bringing her shield up just in time to feel something slam into it. Immediately following the attack sounds of screams reached her ears. The house leader looked up and saw several knights on the ground with large spikes sticking out of them. She was searching for the other students as Petra shouted out.

“Dorothea!” the Brigid princess cried as she ran towards where the mage was presumed to be. Edelgard looked in the direction Petra was headed but saw only a collection of knocked over and injured soldiers. As Edelgard began to stand up she heard Byleth’s voice ring out once again.

“Start getting everyone down the tower!” she roared. “Everyone with shields protects the evacuation. Anyone else help those who need it to get out!” As she said this she ran around the monster, drawing it’s attention from the direction of the others.

“Caspar,” Edelgard said as she pulled the blue haired boy to his feet, “go and help with the injured. I’m going to assist the professor.” 

Before she could turn around and head over to help, Caspar held her back. “What do you mean?” he asked, still looking slightly shaken. “She told everyone to focus on the injured. I want to jump into the fight too, but none of us are exactly capable of handling that thing on our own.”

“That’s why I need to help her,” Edelgard countered, anger seeping into her tone. “The professor needs some kind of back up, and if we keep the beast distracted, shields aren’t necessary. Now go help the others,” she finished as she pulled herself from Caspar’s grasp. She heard his objections as she sprinted towards the side of the monster opposite Byleth, whipping the edge of her axe into the beast’s leg with all of her crest enhanced strength. This caused the creature to let out a pained bellow, it’s leg giving out underneath it.

As the monster began to rise up again Byleth came around the front of it and a stunned expression covered her face. “What are you doing?” she exclaimed. “Go help the others get everyone out!” While she yelled the creature rushed at the professor, forcing her back as she avoided the attack.

“I came to help you!” Edelgard shouted back, swinging her axe into the creature’s now exposed flank. “You can’t take this beast down by yourself! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Of course not!” Byleth called out while trying to goad the creature further from the others. “I’m just trying to keep it busy!”

As Byleth explained her actions the beast decided to not fall for the bait, instead swinging around at the woman who had just attacked it, swiping its claws at Edelgard, slamming her to the side at the force of it’s blow against her shield and causing her to let out a pained groan. From the other side of the beast Edelgard heard the professor call out her name as she fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Immediately she looked up at the beast and saw it rearing up for another attack at her, but as Edegard tried to get out of the way her body didn’t move due to still recovering from the shock of the last attack. Instead of the beast’s vicious claws striking into her however it cried out as dark magic dug into it.

Suddenly Edelgard’s view of the beast was blocked as the armored form of Caspar put himself between the two. “You ok down there?” the blue haired student asked with a joking tone. While he guarded against the beast Linhardt came up behind Edelgard and began to pour healing energy into her, allowing her to easily get back to her feet.

“I’ve been better,” Edelgard replied as she took an offensive stance near Caspar. “But your timing has definitely improved the situation.”

While the beast had been able to hold its own against just Byleth and Edelgard it quickly found itself overwhelmed by the combined attack of the uninjured students and knights. Hubert was unleashing volley after volley of miasmatic magic at the monster while Bernadetta peppered it with arrows, both from behind a line of knights who were driving their weapons into the scaled hide as rapidly as possible. Ingrid and Ferdinand meanwhile were using their lances to keep the beast pinned down, stabbing into its legs whenever it tried to shift. Even when the monster tried to launch those spikes at it’s attackers they were quickly dealt with, the group no longer surprised by the assault.

As the beast finally collapsed from the unrelenting onslaught its flesh began to return to the pitch-like sludge that had coated Miklan as it drained towards a single point. When the ooze had fully receded the body of the bandit leader was left lying lifelessly on the stone with his hand still tightly enclosed around the relic’s haft. While the other’s recovered from the intense few minutes they had just finished, Byleth stepped forward to the corpse, picking up the cloth that had covered her own relic on the way. She knelt down beside the body and gently opened its hand, letting the lance clatter to the floor. Without a word the professor drew her hand over Miklan’s face, shutting his eyes and putting a calm end to this chaotic struggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long to get out. Writing fight scenes is hard. Life also doesn't help. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, and if not let me know why or how you think I can do better! I always appreciate comments and feedback!


	28. Openness and Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the battle for the Lance of Ruin is over, what will the students and their professor do with the threat that was looming over their heads removed?

\--31st of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Dorothea--

“I’m telling you, Petra,” Dorothea sighed, “I’m fine. You don’t have to fuss over me.” The songstress had been knocked by a knight as she had fallen during the beast’s volley, taking an armored arm to the side of the head causing her to be disoriented and nauseous. Because of this she had been taken out with the other injured, and as soon as that happened Petra ran over and helped escort her from the fight. Now she was at the base of the tower with the foreign student keeping her sitting down instead of helping the more seriously injured people.

“You must be resting.” chided Petra. “I’m knowing of what can happen to someone who pushes themselves after a blow to the head. I have seen the strongest of warriors be laid down by not taking time to recover.”

“I know, Petra!” Dorothea snapped, sick of the babying. “Why are you so intent on treating me like a child?” As soon as she spoke the songstress regretted her words, and the hurt look on Petra’s face didn’t help alleviate that feeling.

“I give my apologies for making you believe I see you like a child,” Petra said as her expression changed to a soft smile. “I am, as you say, fuss over you because I am caring for you.”

“But then why don’t you worry about the others the same way?” asked Dorothea. “You’ve told me you care about them as well. You seem to focus so much more on me.”

“Do you not like the attention?” Petra shyly posed.

At Petra’s question Dorothea’s face went flush. “It’s not that I don’t like it, but more that I’m confused as to why you treat me differently when you like the others as well.”

Suddenly a look of understanding appeared on the warrior’s face. “The way I am feeling about others is not the same as my feeling for you,” Petra replied. “I am having care about them, but I am caring for you. It is making me want to be with you and make sure you are happy.”Petra’s words caused Dorothea’s already flushed face to go crimson as she realized what Petra meant. Her injury addled brain tried to come up with a response, but the songstress found herself speechless at the admission. With this silence, Petra continued. “Even if you are not feeling the same, I will still stay with you as much as I can, if you let me.”

  
  


As Petra said this, knights began coming down the stairs, followed by the Black Eagles and Ingrid. In the professor’s hand was the relic, wrapped up but still identifiable. As they reached the bottom steps the group split into two, with the knights and the professor heading towards the other knights while the students headed towards their two classmates.

“I am not expecting a reply right away,” remarked Petra as she stood up. “It was taking a while to find out what my feelings are, and I had assistance from our professor.” As the other students drew closer she called out to them. “Are you all well?” As she asked this Petra waved the others over. “I am glad that you are having returned.”

“Petra, Dorothea,” Edie called out, her tone containing a sharp note as she hurried over. A serious air wrapped around them as the house leader came to a halt in front of the two. “We’re fine. What about you two? Have both of you been checked over or are you still waiting on a healer?”

Still speechless, Dorothea was glad that Petra gave the house leader an answer. “I am being fine, but Dorothea has not yet been healed. She is wanting to be helping others, but she is having trouble standing.”

“Linhardt, see what you can do for Dorothea,” Edie commanded. “Treating the injured will go faster if we can provide two healers instead of one. I don’t want either of you pushing yourselves too hard though.” 

At Edie’s order the green haired healer began to tend to Dorothea while the songstress let out a huff at once again being fretted over. She looked to Petra and saw her tawny eyes light up as she let out a small chuckle due to the songstress’s reaction.

\-- 31st of the Verdant Rain Moon, 1180, Byleth --

After the students split off from the group Byleth began asking the knights who weren’t injured or busy healing them to move the bodies outside so they could be dealt with. Despite technically having time to cover some distance before they would have to stop for the night, the taxing nature of the battle meant she didn’t want to force the group to travel. That meant making the tower livable, and corpses weren’t the best thing for that. Once the knights had been organized and started on their tasks, the professor found a secluded corner to sit in, trying to corral her thoughts so she could process what had happened. It was always a demanding experience sorting out her thoughts and memories after Sothis rewound time to prevent something, but this fight had been draining for the both of them.

“I don’t think that we’ve ever been pushed that hard,” Sothis remarked, taking a seat across from Byleth on the ground and letting out an exhausted sigh. “I know that transforming was out of the question, but if the fighting hadn’t ended when it did I think it may have been your only option to keep everyone safe. I don’t know if I could rewind time much more before I hit my limit.”

“Thanks for straining yourself for me,” Byleth replied. “I just couldn’t deal with how many ways that fight went wrong.” As she said this she thought back to the many times she had watched those around her die only for them to be saved by Sothis’s power. “I guess this is what it’s like to have people you care about. It used to be just you and dad, but now it’s all the students and a bunch of others as well.”

Sothis looked at Byleth with a shy smile as she replied. “If I’m being honest, I would have done it anyways. I care about them too. Except maybe Hubert,” she finished with a joking laugh.

“He is a bit… menacing,” Byleth admitted. “But I think he means well. He’s just had to constantly look out for threats, so it’s better to see them where they’re not then miss them.”

“Does your defense of him mean you forgive him?” asked Sothis.

The professor pondered this for a few seconds before giving her answer. “I haven’t. I understand why he did it, but just because he has to be cautious doesn’t mean he has to see them everywhere.” Byleth paused for a second before she shyly continued. “It doesn’t help that the spell he threw at me hurt…”

Sothis began cackling at that last sentence, making Byleth pout a little. “That’s such a me reason to be angry. I must be rubbing off on you.”

“I’ve only known you all my life,” Byleth replied. “I’d be surprised if we didn’t pick up at least a few things from each other. Like how I’ve picked up your pettiness.”

“Hey!” Sothis exclaimed at Byleth’s jest. “It’s a shame you haven’t learned how to not make bad decisions from me. That would save us both a bunch of trouble.”

“But would our life be anywhere near as exciting?” countered Byleth. “I mean, if it wasn’t for me I think you’d be pretty bored.”

“Um, professor, who are you talking to?” a familiar voice softly asked. Byleth turned to find Bernadetta meekly standing a few feet away.

“Oh,” Byleth stammered out, looking around to see who could possibly overhear. “I’m talking to the friend I told you about at the canyon.” As she explained she silently cursed herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings. She didn’t need any of the knights thinking she was crazy like some of her father’s mercenaries did.

“Ah!” the purple haired archer said as realization filled her eyes. “I- I’m sorry for interrupting,” she said, making herself even smaller.

“You didn’t interrupt anything, Bernadetta,” Byleth consoled while she began to pat the ground next to her. “Have a seat and stay for a bit. Tell me how you’re doing.”

Seeming unconvinced that she wasn’t intruding, Bernadetta slowly sat down next to Byleth, drawing her knees up to her chest. The professor simply waited for the girl to get more comfortable, earning an exasperated look from Sothis, and soon enough she began to quietly talk. “So, um… I, ah… I have a question. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to or anything. I’m just curious and to be honest I’ve wanted to ask since I learned about it but I didn’t know how you would react or if you would think I’m weird or hate me for it and-”

“Bernadetta”, Byleth said, halting the archer’s flurry of words, “I’m not going to hate you for asking a question. But you have to ask it before I can give you an answer.”

“O-oh! Right,” Bernadetta said with a nervous laugh. “Um…” As she spoke she leaned closer to Byleth, getting right up next to her as she began to whisper. “Can I paint you?”

“Alright,” Sothis said, a stunned look on her face. “Not what I expected at all.”

The professor was just as confused, staring at the archer for several seconds before finally getting words to form a reply. “Um, sure, I guess. But why would you want to paint me?”

Suddenly Bernadetta’s expression changed to a much happier one as she began to speak animatedly. “Because you’re so amazing! Even with just the little bit that I saw, you looked so pretty! Your scales were all shiny and sparkly, and your wings were so elegant. How could anyone not be impressed with you?!”

With that explanation suddenly Byleth understood what Bernadetta was really asking. And to be fair, it was an interesting request. She had never seen what she looked like when she changed into that form, not able to find any mirrors or to spend enough time near still water to see herself completely. The downside of letting this happen, however, was that not only would she have to stay transformed for quite a while, which couldn’t be done at the monastery, but it would also mean that there’s a picture of her, which could lead to more people learning about her.

“Professor?” Bernadetta asked, worried by her lack of a response.

“I’m fine,” Byleth replied. “Just thinking.”

“You don’t want me to do you?” the purple haired student asked. “I knew it was too weird of a request. I’m sorry.”

Immediately Byleth spoke up, wanting to explain her hesitation to the girl. “No! That’s not it. I’m actually tempted to do it because I’ve never seen what I look like when I’m like that. But I’m worried because we couldn’t do it at the monastery, and what if people find it? I don’t want to have anyone come to me asking questions. I got enough of that already with the mercenaries.”

“You haven’t seen yourself?” Bernadetta exclaimed. “No we have to do it. You can get rid of the painting once it’s done, but you have to see what you look like! You’re amazing!”

Emboldened by Bernadetta’s uncommonly confident attitude, Byleth gave in to the request. “Alright, alright. I’ll figure out someway for this to happen.”

“Yes!” Bernadetta cheered. As if suddenly realizing that they weren’t alone, she put her hands over her mouth and quickly sat back down. She was silent for a few seconds before she looked to the professor and asked another question. “Wait, what did you mean with the mercenaries? Does your father’s mercenaries know about you?”

“Oh, now you’ve done it,” Sothis chimed in. “You’ve said too much and now you have to explain even more. At least it’s to someone who already knows one of your bigger secrets.”

Deliberately turning to face Sothis, Byleth spoke to the goddess. “Quiet you,” she said before turning back to Bernadetta. “Sothis was being rude. But to answer you, a few do, but most don’t. What they do know is that I didn’t always seem to be a girl growing up.” After a slightly confused look from the archer, Byleth continued. “When I was born everyone thought I was a boy. But as I grew older, I realized I’m a girl and so I took steps to… fix that.”

“I understand,” Bernadetta said. As the girl drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them again she continued. “Everyone thinks of me as a girl, but I’m just Bernie.”

Now it was Byleth’s turn to be puzzled. “What do you mean?” she asked softly, hoping that the archer would tell her more.

“Well, I don’t really feel comfortable being called a girl, but I’m not a boy either. I’m just… me. Just Bernie. Nobody really takes the time to listen though, so I end up being treated like a girl.”

At that short explanation, Byleth felt memories of mercenaries who treated her like a freak just because of who she was bubble up to the surface of her mind, and in turn those made her feel for Bernie. “I’m listening. How do you want to be treated? Should I call you something different?”

Bernie looked at Byleth, disbelief in her eyes as she sat stunned. “Uh… I don’t know,” they answered. “Nobody’s ever asked me that before. I… Bernie’s fine. You can call me that. But don’t call me a girl or a boy? Or she or he?” As they said this they put their head down and muttered into their legs. “I didn’t expect this to ever happen.”

“What about with the others?” Byleth asked, trying to figure out how to best help Bernie. “Do you want them to know not to use those terms about you?” At this Bernie’s head shot up and they stared at the professor like a startled deer.

After several seconds of this, Sothis chimed in. “You’ve broken them,” she said, staring at the frozen archer with a look of amazement. “Like, I’ve seen statues that move more than they are.”

“Bernie?” Byleth asked softly, trying to draw the archer back to reality. “Are you alright? You don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to, but if you do I’ll make sure that they listen and understand and accept you.”

Finally Bernie’s mouth started to open and close like a fish gasping for water before they finally spoke up. “Um, I don’t… I don’t know? That’s a big trouble to put them all through just for something stupid…”

“It’s not stupid,” Byleth said immediately. “Wanting to be yourself isn’t stupid, and if any of them think it is I’ll make sure that they understand that they have to change their mind.” As she finished speaking Byleth looked to Bernie and saw that they looked like they were about to cry.

“I…” they started, only to pause and then sputter to a start again. “I… You…. Would you really do that? For me?”

“Of course,” Byleth answered. “Even if you don’t want to do it now and decide to come out later, I’ll do it. But to be honest, I don’t think that they’ll have a problem with it. Most of you know about me now and there haven’t been any issues.”

Instead of responding Bernie tucked themselves in even tighter, muttering a repeated phrase under their breath. “Be brave, Bernie. Be brave, Bernie. Be brave, Bernie.” This went on for a while until finally they lifted their head and shakily stood up. “A-alright,” they said, their voice as wobbly as their body. “I’m going to tell the others.” Bernie began to unsteadily walk towards the rest of the Black Eagles, prompting Byleth to stand up and follow behind them.

As the pair joined the group they found them discussing the proper treatment for head injuries, a subject which Byleth was entirely not expecting to walk into any conversation about. That didn’t last long, however, because once Bernie and Byleth came to a halt the professor cleared her throat loudly, getting the attention of the Black Eagles and Ingrid.

Suddenly having all her classmate’s eyes on them, Bernie began to gasp, no words coming from their mouth. To try to encourage the archer, Byleth put her hand on their shoulder and whispered to them. “You can do this. They’ll accept you.”

Spurred on by the professor, Bernie took a deep breath before meekly stammering. “I-I’d like it if you didn’t call me a girl anymore.”

The students all looked at Bernie in silence for a second before Edelgard spoke up. “How would you like to refer to you then?” she asked. “Would you like to be treated as a boy, or do you have something else in mind?”

“Just Bernie,” they answered. “I’m not a girl, or a boy. I’m just… Bernie.”

“So you’re non-binary?” Dorothea asked, drawing confused expressions from everyone. Looking around, the songstress let out a heavy sigh before continuing. “It means that they identify as something besides strictly man or woman. I swear, with how queer we all are how am I the only one to know this.”

“What do you be meaning?” Petra asked, voicing the question that most of the students seemed to be thinking.

“I mean that I don’t think a single one of the Black Eagles is both their assigned gender and straight,” answered Dorothea. “For example, I am pansexual, which means I’m attracted to people regardless of gender, and I’m transgender, which means people thought I was a boy when I was born.” Once she said this she looked to Bernie as she continued to speak. “I’ll make sure that I call you by the right name and pronouns, ok Bernie?”

“Hold on,” Linhardt said. As he did so, Byleth felt Bernie tense up and hoped she wasn’t going to have to talk with the healer. Thankfully his following words weren’t an issue. “Statistically it’s improbable that we’re all queer. Surely some of us aren’t?” As nobody spoke to the contrary, Linhardt let out a tired sigh before speaking again. “Very well. I’m cis, but I am demisexual, so I’m queer. How about the rest of you?”

Caspar immediately shot up and began talking, having been looking like he was going to burst with excitement when Linhardt spoke. “I’m trans as well! And I’m bi! Although the difference between pan and bi confuses me a bit.”

“It’s mostly semantics,” Dorothea remarked. “Use whichever term you prefer.”

“Ooooh.” the blue haired fighter said. “Ok. Who’s next? Wait! I’m also taken!” As Caspar said this he wrapped an arm around Linhardt and laid a quick peck on his cheek.

“I am having much happiness for you, Caspar!” Petra commented. “I am also having attraction for both men and women, once I am getting to know them, though I am not having knowing for what that is called in your language.”

As the Brigid princess finished speaking she looked around at those who hadn’t yet talked. Picking up that passed torch was Ferdinand, who spoke with a familiar flair. “I, your dear Ferdinand, am bisexual as well. Although I will admit to a preference for men.”

Byleth spoke up next, feeling energized by the sudden atmosphere of acceptance. “I’m trans like Dorothea and Caspar,” she said. “And I didn’t know the term for it until now, but I guess I’m pansexual? I don’t have a preference.” When Byleth said this she could swear Dorothea shot a smirk at Edelgard, but as the imperial princess spoke the blue haired woman simply choked it up to the songstress trying to get her to share.

“If this is what we’re doing, then very well,” Edelgard said. “I am simply bisexual. Although I do have a preference for women.” 

When Hubert didn’t immediately speak up, Edelgard put her elbow into his side, prompting him to talk. “I’m not interested in sexual interactions,” the mage said stoically. He was silent for several seconds before Edelgard chimed in again.

“He may not be interested in the more ‘physical’ aspects of relationships,” she said, “but I distinctly remember him telling me about his interest in a certain noble’s son.”

“Lady Edelgard!” Hubert sputtered, for the first time appearing flustered as his face went crimson.

“I guess we really are all queer,” Linhardt remarked once all of the Black Eagles had spoken. Before he could continue his thought however, Ingrid spoke up.

“Um, I’ve always been a girl,” she said meekly, unfamiliar with this level of openness. “And I’m pretty sure I’m straight, but I’ve never really considered not being straight before.”

“You got one, Lin!” Dorothea cheered at Ingrid’s words. “But in all seriousness, that’s completely acceptable too, Ingrid. And Bernie,” the brunette said, turning to the archer, “I hope you know that we all accept you and call you whatever you want to be called.” At that the entirety of the group gave their confirmation, all of it merging together into a cacophonous wave of support. As Bernie began to tear up, the students all went over to them and checked up on them, with Edelgard dragging Hubert over despite his resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is definitely a tone shift from last chapter, but I think that now works well in the story for it and hey, now everyone is out! Also, poor Ingrid, getting dragged from one extreme to another with the crazy group of queers. But I love them all. Anyways, let me know what you think of it, whether good or bad, and any ideas you may have for what will happen in the future!


	29. A Search and Hidden Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Black Eagles return to Garreg Mach, a new trouble waits for them. But while they search for the answer, just what will they find in the depths of the monastery.

\--2nd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As soon as the group entered the monastery, Byleth could tell that something was up. Everything was too quiet in the marketplace, with the few people around seeming somber. In fact, the only real sense of rush was from the gatekeeper running towards the group.

“Professor Eisner! Knight Pronislav!” the armored man said as he came to a halt in front of the group. “Lady Rhea wants to speak with you immediately! Flayn has gone missing and is believed to have been kidnapped!”

With this news Byleth suddenly understood the situation. Everyone must be looking for any trace of Flayn they could find. “We’ll head there now,” she replied to the gatekeeper. “Everyone, put your equipment away and wait for instructions from Gilbert or I. Ingrid, you should go to Professor Essar and see what he wants you to do.” As she finished she nodded to Gilbert and they headed towards the audience chamber.

When the two of them entered the chamber it looked empty, but Rhea stepped out from the side room shortly after. Professor Eisner, Knight Pronislav. Have you heard the news?”

“Yes, archbishop,” Gilbert replied. “Flayn has gone missing.”

Rhea nodded somberly at his words. “All we know is that she is almost certainly still within the monastery. In order to keep it that way I want you to lead knights in securing all exits of the monastery and, as a second line of defense, the surrounding town.” With these orders Gilbert nodded in acknowledgement and left the chamber. “As for you, professor, your class will be tasked with aiding in the search of the monastery itself. The other classes have already begun searching, so I expect you to discuss search areas with the other professors.”

“I’ll inform my students and talk with Manuela and Hanneman once I’m done here,” Byleth said. “But I do still have to go over my class’s mission with you.”

“Of course,” remarked Rhea. “I assume by the wrapped object in your hand you were successful?”

Byleth confirmed that by uncovering part of the lance as she spoke. “We were, although not quickly enough to prevent Miklan from being changed by the relic.”

“Changed is a very polite word for what happened,” Sothis sarcastically commented as she appeared beside Byleth. “More mutilated or disfigured.”

“That is a shame,” admitted the archbishop, sadness in her voice. “You now see why I had hoped to avoid that. Not only is it a punishment that few are deserving of, but it would destroy people’s trust in the church if they learned that what happened to the bandit was because of the relic.”

“That’s what she’s worried about?” Sothis yelled. “How much trust the people have in the church? Not the fact that a man was screaming in anguish as his body was taken over by a mutilated corpse that was made into a weapon?”

Despite the goddesses outburst, Byleth kept her face plain as she spoke. “I see. Well, if that’s all, I’ll hand this over and go to my students.” With that she offered the weapon to the archbishop.

“Of course,” Rhea said, taking the lance. “May the goddess be with you.”

While walking from the audience chamber to her classroom, Byleth continued to hear Sothis rant about Rhea’s ‘misguided goals’ but was unable to respond. It wasn’t until she closed the doors behind her that she spoke. “I know, Sothis!” Byleth snapped. “I know. But right now there isn’t anything we can do about it.” As she said this she couldn’t help but feel useless. “Even if we could confront the archbishop about that issue, we have better things to do. Flayn is missing. So we need to focus our attention on finding her.”

At that Sothis stalled for a second before letting out a frustrated yell. “You’re right! But it’s just so… wrong! But you’re right… Let's go talk with the other professors then and see what’s already being done.”

\-- 3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard --

Claude had apparently seen a ‘shady looking guy’ around the monastery and had somehow managed to rope Dimitri and Edelgard into following the man with him. The archer had been right, however, and the trio had tracked him to an opening in the monastery wall that seemed to lead beneath Garreg Mach. As they were debating whether or not to follow the man Byleth showed up, as well as Hilda, Ashe, and Linhardt. Byleth seemed to think that this was enough to handle whatever they may come across as she led the group down into the unknown. 

Edelgard knew that despite the seemingly happy appearance she had put on when Bernie came out to the Black Eagles, something was eating at the professor. With the lack of privacy on the way back from the tower and suddenly being instructed to help with the search for Flayn, however, the princess hadn’t been able to talk to the woman to learn what was causing this distress. Edelgard had been hoping that she would manage to get some time to talk with the professor about it but no such opportunity had presented itself yet. More pressing issues were at hand though, because as they proceeded down the tunnel it went from carved out path to actually built hallway with lit torches. “Who could have possibly built this?” Edelgard pondered out loud. “It’s had to have been here since the construction of Garreg Mach. I doubt anyone would be able to excavate anything like this without the church knowing.”

“You know, my brother used to tell me stories about people who lived down beneath the monastery,” remarked Hilda. “What did he call it? Void? No, that’s not it. Was it Abyss?”

“Wow, the pink haired one really knows her stuff!” a voice called out. From where the voice was heard a tall and muscular man stepped forth. “Welcome to Abyss,strangers!”

Dimitri stepped forward, lowering his lance at the mysterious newcomer. “Identify yourself!” he said, taking a good look at the man. “That outfit…”

Apparently unfazed by the weapon pointed at him, the man continued speaking. “What brings such curious students to our humble abode?”

Claude looked like he was going to chime in when Byleth stepped forward, walking past Dimitri and stopping in front of the stranger. “We’re looking for any clues about a missing girl,” the professor said sternly. “Now you can either help us or step aside.”

“Quite a sob story,” a new voice called out from the shadows. A blonde woman, wearing similar clothes to the man, walked up to stand beside him, blocking their way before continuing to speak. “Your pitiful tale may fool this fool, but I, Constance von Nuvelle, will divine your true intentions. And I can tell that you were sent here by the church… to eliminate the inhabitants of Abyss!”

“You think we’re here to attack you?” asked Claude. “We didn’t even know you were here until a minute ago.”

“To be honest, i don’t really care why you’re here,” the big man said. “All that I care about is that there’s gonna be one hell of a brawl and I want in!”

“These don’t look like regular thugs…” Dimitri commented, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m not sure we can take them right now,” added Claude. “I suggest a strategic retreat.”

Before Byleth could answer a new voice piped up from behind the students. “But if you leave now you’ll make us so sad.” Turning around to face this new voice Edelgard saw a young man with purple hair and a sword leveled at the students. His clothing was once again similar to the other two’s suggesting that they were in some kind of group. “Everyone here is so starved for amusement.”

“That was a flawless example of an ambush,” Claude commented, obviously impressed. “These guys are certainly no ordinary thugs.”

“Maybe you could save the complimenting for later, Claude,” Dimitri chided.

“Everyone hold on,” Byleth called out. “You’re just doing this because you’re bored?”

The man in front of her shrugged, and when she looked back at the man behind them he seemed to agree with her as he nodded. “I mean that and make sure you aren’t a threat to Abyss.”

The blue haired woman let out a sigh at that answer, and Edelgard could almost feel her thinking of something insane. “Then how about a wager?” Byleth suggested. “I’ll fight a person of your choosing. If you win, we’ll do what it is you ask of us, whether that’s leaving or something else, so long as it doesn’t involve harm coming to my students. If I win, you have to help us search Abyss for the missing girl. Does that sound fair?”

“That’s a pretty bold offer to be making,” the one in the back said. “We aren’t just some thugs that you can push around easily. But what would be the rules of this bout?”

“First to yield loses,” Byleth answered. “This guy mentioned brawling. How about bare knuckles?” As she said this she threw a thumb back at the tall man, who’s face instantly lit up.

“You want to challenge the King of Grappling?” he boasted. “Well, if that’s the case you may as well already start getting ready to do what we want, but I’ll give you the honor of losing to me.”

Byleth looked over her shoulder, sizing up the man before turning back to the purple haired one. “Well, he sounds excited,” she plainly stated. “So how about it.”

The man seemed to think about it for a second before he lowered his blade. “Very well. There’s a larger room further ahead. That will be a good place to watch the fight.”

As the two in front led the group to their destination, Edelgard caught up to Byleth and spoke to her in a whisper. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Well,” Byleth whispered back, “if they are just bored, this should placate them, and if they do want to have something up their sleeves, at least there will be one less of them.”

That answer wasn’t entirely satisfying, but Edelgard didn’t have time to ask anymore as they came into the large room. Edelgard couldn’t help but notice the similarity in style to the Holy Mausoleum, although without as much religious iconography.

Already waiting in the room was another woman, once again in similar clothing to the others. She didn’t seem surprised to see any of them, although she did seem to notice that the students were still armed. “What’s going on Yuri-bird?” she called out.

“Oh, we’ve just found some students who are supposedly searching for a missing girl,” the purple haired man answered. “The professor decided to put forth a little wager against Balthus though. She thinks that she can best him in a battle of the fists.”

“She thinks she can take down B?” the new woman asked, looking astonished. “She’s in for quite a shock then.”

While those two spoke, Byleth began getting ready for the fight. As she was taking off her weapons, Edelgard tried to pick up where they left off when they entered the room. “I’m still not sure about this. Even if they do honor the wager, how do we know we can trust them?”

“We don’t,” the blue haired woman said, handing her sword belt to Edelgard before taking off her coat. “But short of getting everyone involved in a fight, I didn’t see another way past them.” She paused for a second, looking at Edelgard before she spoke up again. “Can I borrow one of your hair ties?” she asked, continuing to take off her various bits and bobs.

“Um, sure, I suppose,” Edelgard said, setting down the things she was holding and undoing a purple ribbon. As soon as she handed it over Byleth began tying back her steel-blue hair, giving Edelgard a view she had not seen before. The simplicity of the action only added to the attractiveness of the woman in front of her, but before she could take it in any more, Byleth spoke up, snapping her out of her daydream.

“Well, off I go,” Byleth said, checking herself over once more before starting towards the center of the room where the tall man known as Balthus was waiting.

“Good luck!” Edelgard called out. “And do try not to kill him!” At that Byleth simply waved back. Meanwhile, Dimitri and Claude had come up beside the white haired student.

“I don’t mean to doubt the professor,” Dimitri began, “but is she sure that she can win? Her opponent seems to believe that she has no chance.”

“I’m sure the professor has something up her sleeve,” Claude replied. “Although I can’t help but agree that this looks like it will be an uphill fight for teach.”

Edelgard couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the other two’s doubts, drawing both their focus. “You two simply haven’t seen what she’s capable of,” she explained. “My worry isn’t the fight itself, but how those three will react when their comrade loses.” Edelgard didn’t explain her reasoning however, as the fight seemed like it was going to start.

“So,” Balthus said smugly, “are you sure you don’t want to just give up now? It would be a shame to bruise such a pretty face, but the Indomitable King of Grappling doesn’t go easy on his foes.”

Byleth smirked at this before giving her own retort. “You seem pretty proud of your nickname,” she said. “I have one of my own, although I’m not so much of a fan of it. Some people used to call me the Ashen Demon when I was a mercenary.”

As Byleth said this, Edelgard saw the purple haired man’s expression change to one of worry. “BALTHUS!” he cried out immediately. “She’s dangerous! Be careful!” Before anyone could do anything, however, the bout began.

Balthus was the first one to make a move, swinging at Byleth with a hook that would have laid out almost anyone it connected with. However, the blue haired woman shifted back, avoiding the blow but not countering with one of her own. Instead she continued to remain on the defensive, her stance guarded as she kept narrowly avoiding the broad man’s attacks.

“What, are you too afraid to attack?” Balthus goaded, clearly unfazed by his friend’s concern. “Or is dodging all you’re good at? Yuri seems to be worried, but you don’t look like a threat to me.”

As he went in for a jab, Byleth dropped to a crouch before shooting forwards and driving her fist into Balthus’s stomach, sending him stumbling backwards with his arms covering his middle. “Battle isn’t the place for idle conversation,” Byleth remarked as she let the man recover.

Several seconds of haggard breathing later, the muscular man returned to a fighting stance. “You sure do hit hard,” he said wheezily, “but the real question is how hard can you get hit!” With these words he rushed at Byleth, but at the same time she rushed at him. As he came in with another hook, Byleth slipped under it and brought her arm up, catching the brawler across the chest and shoulder. Unable to stop, Balthus’s own momentum caused him to clothesline himself, sweeping his feet out from under him and forcing him to slam down onto his back.

“You’re too eager to rush in,” Byleth said as she looked down at Balthus, who could only groan in response. Turning her focus to the others, she looked to Yuri and called out to him. “I think this means you’ll help us search, right?”

“I suppose so,” the purple haired man replied. “I think I may have a way for us to help that will benefit the both of us.” As he said this he stepped forwards, towards the professor. “I might as well introduce myself. I am Yuri, leader of the Ashen Wolves. The secret fourth house of the Garreg Mach Officer’s Academy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now we are officially in the part of the story I'm excited for. Not just because of the Ashen Wolves, but also because now the other houses are going to start playing larger roles in the story! As usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and let me know what you think of it. Your responses fuel me.


	30. Into the Depths

\--3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Not wasting any time, Yuri called out to the other Ashen Wolves. “Well, what are you waiting for? Introduce yourselves to our new friends.”

The two who had been standing on the sidelines with Yuri came forth, and the one who had introduced herself earlier spoke up first. “I am Constance von Nuvelle, heiress to House Nuvelle and the one who will return it to its former glory!”

“Wait,” Edelgard said, “do you mean that House Nuvelle that was destroyed during the war with Dagda and Brigid?”

“Destroyed is too dire a term,” replied Constance. “Merely knocked down. But I assure you that one day soon all will know the name Von Nuvelle. Although I must admit I am surprised that you know that much about my house. Who might you be?”

“I’m Edelgard von Hresvelg,” she answered, causing Constance’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“The imperial princess! Who would have thought we would meet such a notable figure down here?!”

As Constance finished speaking the other woman stepped forward. “I’m Hapi,” she said plainly. When she didn’t say anything else Yuri simply moved on, directing everyone’s attention to the man still on the floor.

“Balthus!” Yuri said with a commanding tone. “Get off the ground and introduce yourself.”

With a groan the muscular man stood up and dusted himself off before speaking up. “You can call me Balthus, although I guess you already knew that.” As he introduced himself he turned to Byleth. “I swear lady, you sure do know how to fight. I haven’t lost that badly in years. Hell, it was the last time I fought with Holst, I think.”

“Wait, Holst?!” Hilda exclaimed, pushing her way to the front and taking a look at Balthus. “Is that you Baltie?! It’s me, Hilda!” The pink haired student’s demeanor instantly changed once she thought about what could have happened, however. “I can’t believe you were going to fight me! What would Holst think if you beat me up?!”

At those words Balthus paled. “Oh man, that would have been a disaster! He would have had my head. You gotta not tell Holst about this, ok?”

“Fine,” Hilda drawled reluctantly. “But only for you. And just this once.”

“Alright!” exclaimed Balthus. “Well, with that taken care of, what were you yelling about during the fight, Yuri? I kinda tuned you out.”

“Of course you did,” Yuri sighed. “I was telling you to be careful. Your opponent, and the academy’s newest professor, is a well known figure among the darker side of the mercenary community. The Ashen Demon has an almost legendary reputation of being able to rout entire battalions single handedly. It’s known that she travels with the Blade Breaker, but I didn’t expect it to be his daughter, especially since the tales of the destruction left behind have been around for almost a decade.”

As the purple haired student said this Edelgard could feel the other students stare at the professor. But before they could ask any questions Byleth spoke up.

“As much as I’m enjoying this,” Byleth quickly uttered, “we’re here to find Flayn. Do you know of any places where someone could hide a kidnapped child?”

As Byleth asked this she turned to Yuri, fixing him with a stare that seemed as cold as a Faerghus winter. The Ashen Wolf didn’t seem to be phased however, instead simply answering the question. “Unfortunately, there are many places in Abyss where such a thing could be done. These tunnels run underneath the entire monastery with multiple levels.” At that Byleth seemed to deflate, realizing just how large the place was. “However, searching the entire place may not be necessary. Recently there have been repeated attempts by mercenaries to enter Abyss en masse. They’ve been harassing the residents and it appears that they may be looking for something. With that in mind, I have a proposition. I have my men scour as much of Abyss as they can, and you find students help us take care of the mercenaries. This way the tunnels get searched, and if the mercenaries are linked to the disappearances you’ve taken care of the problem.”

While Byleth began to ponder this deal, Edelgard chimed in. “I think we should go along with his plan. The tunnels sound too big for the 7 of us to search on our own, and the appearance of these mercenaries Yuri talks of seems too convenient to be a coincidence.”

“I think so too, teach,” Claude added. When it was one person we were chasing, we were more than enough. But now that it’s a whole additional search, we need help.”

“We also can’t just let these mercenaries continue to harass the people down here,” Dimitri said, agreeing with the other two house leaders.

Not quite appearing convinced, Byleth conceded anyways. “I suppose those are all good points,” she admitted. “Then what can you tell us about the mercenaries?”

As Byleth said this a man ran up to the group. “Boss!” he yelled, immediately gaining Yuri’s attention. “A whole bunch of those mercs were seen coming in on the south side! It looks like they’re just gonna try to force their way in.”

Yuri brought his hand up to his chin at this news and pondered it for a few seconds before he replied. “The south side? Have some of the men set up blockades to direct them west. We’ll handle it from there. Also let the others know that I want to speak with them once we get back.” With that the armored man nodded and ran in the direction he came from and Yuri turned to the group. “How about you follow us and I fill you in on the way?”

\--3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Yuri led the group to an intersection of tunnels, where they waited for the sound of the mercenaries heading in their direction. He had explained that once the mercenaries were beginning to enter the crossing, they would hit them hard and then retreat to a nearby arena that he had discovered recently. Almost as soon as he finished going over the plan, however, the sound of footsteps could be heard down the hall, causing everyone to hush as they quietly got into position. As soon as the first mercenary crossed into the intersection Byleth cut them down with a single strike, which was followed immediately by arrows and magic from the students and the Ashen Wolves. With the intruders confused and panicked their retreat was painless, with them going just fast enough to keep the mercenaries following. Soon enough they were in the arena Yuri had mentioned and were taking up positions to fight the incoming foes, with Byleth placing herself a decent distance away from the others. While they waited for the mercs to enter their trap, Sothis spoke up.

“So, care to explain why you decided to reveal your oh so infamous title to these apparently newfound allies?” the goddess asked, her tone reminding Byleth of the times when her father would reprimand her for doing something stupid. “Nevermind the fact that you hate being referred to by it, but it also lets the others know that you’re some kind of ‘myth’.” Sothis emphasized her sarcasm about that last word by putting air quotes around it.

“I just hoped that maybe it would save me another fight,” Byleth whispered. She looked at her intangible companion and immediately Sothis’s expression softened. “I’m just so tired of fighting. And here we are doing more of it. I just don’t want to see anyone else die.” Despite all the boons her power gave her, watching people die so she could save them was the thing that Byleth hated most. They were saved in the end, but it still felt like a curse to hear their agonized screams or watch them crumple to the ground.

“I know that we haven’t had much time to… recuperate from the disaster that was the tower,” Sothis said, floating down to sit beside Byleth. “But we have to find Flayn, and hopefully anyone else who may have been taken by this rumored death knight. Once that’s done we’ll take some time to relax and pull ourselves back together.”

Almost as soon as Sothis had finished her attempt to rally Byleth, the doors they had come through were thrown open. “Find those sewer dwellers!” an gruff voice called out. “But keep one of’em alive. We need to see what they know!” With those orders, mercenaries began to spread out from the door. Trying to figure out where they were heading too, Byleth leaned around the barrier she was behind but immediately had to pull back as a ball of fire slammed into it. “One’s over there!” a new voice called, followed immediately by the sound of armor clamoring towards her.

“On the plus side,” Sothis remarked, “they’re all going to focus on you so nobody else is at risk?”

Byleth shot her a glare before launching herself from behind the short wall towards a pillar, throwing a Nosferatu at the first one she saw as she gauged their numbers. It looked like there were around 8 or 9 left after the ambush, assuming that the one she just hit was still up. The sounds of advancing soldiers continued towards her, so she readied a plan of her own. She silently drew her sword and listened for her opponents to get close enough.

Right before she thought they would be within striking distance, she lunged around the pillar, causing the mercenary in the lead to let out a surprised yelp which turned into a wet gurgle as her sword drove through his chest. As she began to pull the blade free however, it was no longer her sword, but a large boney spike. It was also not buried in some random mercenary who wanted to kill her but instead in Ferdinand’s chest. The blue haired woman looked around, confused by this sudden change, but instead of an underground arena she found herself in the tower from their last mission, a dark storm raging outside. When she tried to pull the spine free from her student pained murmurs bubbled forth from his mouth as blood began to ooze from it. As panic of watching Ferdinand die once more began to set in fully, Byleth felt a fiery pain shooting through her leg. With a pained scream she looked down, trying to see what had caused it but before she could she felt the familiar crack of time being rewound.

“What in the world happened?” yelled Sothis, her harsh tone attempting to seize Byleth’s attention. “One second you were in action, and the next you stand there and let that woman run you through!”

Byleth however ignored her, bringing her hands up to cover her ears as she screwed her eyes shut, trying to block out the imagery of what she had just seen. Despite this it still stayed with her, bringing even more to the surface. She could still hear the wet sounds of words that couldn’t get through the blood and feel the slick heat of that same red fluid seeping out from around the wound, coating her hands. Byleth didn’t know how long she remained like that, struggling to keep those horrific visions from completely overwhelming her, but the first thing that she picked up from outside of her own head was the sound people talking calmly around her.

“Look, every minute we sit here is another minute that girl is still held hostage and those mercenaries are threatening Abyss,” a voice said.

“I understand, Yuri. But we can’t just move the professor. She’s obviously in distress. We need to wait until she’s at least aware of her surroundings.” This new voice was one that Byleth recognized.

‘Edelgard,’ Byleth thought to herself. Or at least she believed she had only thought it.

“Edelgard,” another familiar voice called, this time Linhardt. “She just called for you.” The immediate sound of people moving could be heard, and as Byleth opened her eyes familiar colors filled her vision.

“Professor?” she asked, concern saturating her words. “Are you alright? Once the fighting was over we found you here, clutching yourself tightly. Did something happen?”

Byleth tried to find the words to describe what had happened, but nothing came to her. Her mouth opened and closed with each attempt to give an explanation until finally she was able to get a single word out. “Memory.”

“Ok,” Edelgard said, sounding a bit confused. “How about we get you out of here? Yuri and Aelfric want us to head to the inhabited part of Abyss. We can figure out our next step there while the men we captured are interrogated.”

Byleth nodded but didn’t immediately get up. Instead she kept sitting there, trying to pull herself together so as to not look like such a mess in front of her students. After a few seconds of sitting still a hand reached out to her, stopping palm up in front of her. She followed the arm it was attached to and saw it was Edelgard who was offering to help. Byleth reached up to the offered hand, letting Edelgard help her up. Once she was standing, a new voice spoke up.

“Professor Eisner,” an unfamiliar man said, “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Her Grace speaks highly of you. I am Aelfric, the liaison for Abyss with the Church. I have a request for you, but it seems now is not the time. Shall we head out now that you are on your feet?”

With that Edelgard helped Byleth towards the exit of the series, the professor couldn’t help but feel Aelfric’s gaze on her. Whatever this new person’s interest was, it didn’t feel like it was a good thing.

\--3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Hilda--

As the ragtag group followed the Ashen Wolves, Hilda’s thoughts kept drifting back to the professor. All of the other times she had seen the woman it had felt like there was some kind of mask on her. The pink haired girl could tell that her strength was real, especially after what happened in the Holy Mausoleum, but the professor wore it like a costume. Now that made sense at least. Professor Eisner had to have some kind of trauma, especially if what Yuri had said about the Ashen Demon was true.

“You seem to be lost in thought,” remarked Claude from beside her. “Should I be worried or should I bring you a map?”

Putting on her best innocent smile Hilda shot back a reply. “With how often it happens to you? I think we’d need someone else to help us. I’m just thinking about the professor though.”

“It was a pretty strange sight,” said Claude. “I’ve heard of people closing in on themselves like that, but this was the first time I’ve seen it up close. I didn’t think that teach would be one of the ones that it happened to either. She’s always seemed so resilient.”

“I think she is,” Hilda responded to Claude’s remark. “She’s seemed off since she got back from that mission. And then she came back to Flayn missing and immediately having to start searching. When was the last time you saw her relax?”

Claude thought about that question for a bit before giving his answer. “I saw her fishing a few weeks ago. But that was before she vanished and her class followed her. I’m still trying to get some kind of info out of Leonie about that. Lysithea I expected to keep her lips sealed, but Leonie usually talks more freely. Whatever happened while they were away is serious.”

Hilda agreed with that completely. “Exactly! She’s wrapped up around so many secrets, and everyone seems to not only trust her but rely on her. It’s got to be exhausting.”

“You’re probably getting tired just thinking about it,” Claude commented, earning an elbow to his ribs for his joke.

“I want to talk with her,” Hilda said. “Can you get me some one on one time with her?”

“Wait, you’re serious about this.” As Claude said this, Hilda could feel the disbelief in his words. “Okay, I guess. I’ll see what I can do. Maybe bring the other house leaders into a meeting?” Claude started rubbing the back of his head, a sign that he was trying to figure something out, before he continued. “Why are you so intent on this? No offense, but normally you wouldn’t care once she had someone helping her.”

“She reminds me of someone,” replied Hilda. When she didn’t continue Claude took it as a sign to not push the subject, and for the rest of their trip through the winding tunnels he filled the silence with small talk. Meanwhile, Hilda was trying to figure out exactly why she was so insistent about this. Claude’s observation hadn’t been wrong. And while the professor did remind the girl of a certain classmate, that still didn’t feel like the whole reason.

Before she could figure out an answer though, the group had arrived at what appeared to be a town, if it could even be called that. Down below there were ramshackle buildings made of mismatched pieces of wood and other materials filling what would otherwise be a spacious area. Among all this were dozens of people, all moving around each other with an almost incidental looking grace. As soon as this sight came into view, Yuri began leading the group down into the bustling chaos. Hilda expected to struggle to get through the bustling cacophony of people but to her surprise they gave way to the Ashen Wolves, and by extension the group. Effortlessly they arrived at the other side of the maze of shanties, where they went down a hallway and were immediately ushered into a side room that was some kind of bunkroom.

“You can rest over here, professor,” Yuri said, motioning to one of the bunks. “I have to go and talk with the patrols, but the others can make sure the rest of you are taken care of. Once I’m back we can plan our next move.” Before anyone could say anything, he was already out the door.

“Well, like Yuri said, do any of you need anything?” Balthus asked. “Because I’m sure that I could go for catching up with Hilda if there’s nothing else to do.” 

“Sorry Baltie,” Hilda said, not wanting to get sidetracked from her goal, “but I’m feeling a bit tired after that fight. I’m just going to stay here and rest for a bit.” As she said this Hilda felt a bit bad because she could see Baltie deflate, but at least Claude seemed to realize what she was doing.

“How about you three give the rest of us a tour of this place while we wait?” Claude suggested. “I’m sure that at the very least it would be good to know where we can get supplies if we're going to be dealing with those mercenaries. We didn’t exactly expect to find something of this scale.”

“A sound idea, Claude,” Dimitri remarked, turning his attention to his own weapon. “I have a tendency to be a bit rough on my weapons, so knowing where to get them repaired is a necessity.”

“I’ll remain here,” Edelgard began. “Someone needs to make sure these two are alright.” With that she gestured to the professor and Hilda, both of whom were now laying on bunks.

“They’ll be fine,” Claude said. “I doubt Yuri would let anything happen to those two, and even if someone did try something, Hilda’s about as gentle as a bear. Besides, we need someone to bankroll this gig, and we forgot our coin purses, didn’t we Dimitri?” As he named the Blue Lion leader he drove an elbow into his side, encouraging him to agree.

“Agh- yes, I admit that I didn’t expect to be shopping today,” the prince said, shooting a glare at Claude.

Edelgard looked at the resting professor before she acquiesced. “Very well. Although if anything happens to either of these two, I’ll hold you personally responsible, Claude.”

Within those words was the most thinly veiled of threats, making Hilda wonder why Edelgard seemed so protective of the blue haired woman. There was definitely something going on there, but as the others headed out and the sound of Constance saying something about a secret library, the student decided to shelf that question for later. She waited about a minute before leaning over the edge of the bunk and looking down at the professor. The woman definitely looked less pale, but she still looked shaken as she laid with her arm over her eyes. Hilda knew that this opportunity to be alone wouldn’t last forever, and so she spoke up. “How are you feeling, professor? You gave us all quite a scare earlier. Especially Edelgard.”

Slowly the professor uncovered her face, and her expression was just as bad as Hilda expected. “Sorry. I… saw something that set me off,” she said weakly. 

“You know, professor, you remind me of someone,” Hilda continued, looking away as she thought of what to say. “She always seems so nice and kind, but she thinks that she’s broken inside. That there’s a part of her that puts everyone around her in danger just by being around her. And no matter how much I try to tell her that isn’t true she-” The pink haired girl stopped suddenly as she looked back to the professor, startled by the intense gaze the woman was now fixing her with. Of all the reactions she had expected, this wasn’t one of them.

“Continue…” the professor said, her tone making Hilda wonder if springing this conversation on her was perhaps not the best idea.

“Um, well… she doesn’t believe me,” Hilda said quietly, suddenly very aware that she was alone with the professor. “So I was wondering if you would tell me about your… issues so that I might be able to help her.”

Once she had finished speaking, Hilda waited for the professor’s response. To her surprise the blue haired woman sat up and continued staring directly at her before suddenly turning to look at a blank wall. A few seconds later the woman’s attention once again focused on the student. “You really think that we’re the same?” she asked, earning a quick nod from Hilda. “How about we talk once this whole situation is over and Flayn is safe? Would that be good enough? I don’t really want to talk about this right now.”

“That’s fine!” exclaimed Hilda, satisfied with getting a way in at the very least. “I’ll let you get back to resting. You look like you need it.” With that she pulled herself back over the edge of the bunk and lay back down, waiting for the others to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some things. I wrote them. Now they are here.


	31. Answers At What Cost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventure in Abyss continues, although things rarely go as they are planned.

\-- 3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth --

“You could have just waited, you know,” Sothis chided as Byleth walked down an empty hallway. “You still look like you were trampled by a horse again.”

“Thanks for reminding me of that horrible experience,” replied Byleth. She was trying to find the man from earlier, Aelfric. She had gotten a bad feeling from him, but it also seemed like they would be working with him for the immediate future. If that was the case then Byleth was going to make sure that he wasn’t a threat to the students. “But I need to find Aelfric. He said he had a request, but he also seemed off. He mentioned on the way from the arena that I could find him down here.”

Sothis instantly voiced her dislike of Byleth’s idea. “So your plan is to sneak away when nobody is around and go roaming through a maze of halls to meet with a man who you get a bad feeling from. I’m so glad to see you are back to your usual mental capacity then.”

The professor looked at her green haired friend for a second before rolling her eyes and continuing down the stone tunnels, asking people when she came across them for directions to Aelfric. Rather quickly, and with only a few wrong turns, Byleth found what she had been told was where the man could be found, a solid wood door in front of her. She gave it a rapid set of knocks and was rewarded with a response from the other side.

“Come in,” the muffled voice said. As Byleth opened the door she saw Aelfric sitting at a desk. As he looked at the visitor a smile crossed his face. As she entered the room, Byleth still felt that feeling of nervousness and the need to be cautious in her chest. “Professor Eisner, what a pleasant surprise. Come, sit down. You are no doubt still recovering from earlier. What brings you to my office in Abyss?”

Byleth moved to the offered chair, sitting down before she spoke. “I’m wondering if you have any leads about Flayn’s disappearance from the mercenaries you captured. You also mentioned you have a request for me?”

“Unfortunately,” Aelfric began, leaning forward as he began to answer, “Yuri is still trying to figure out what they know.”

Sothis piped up again at that statement. “Oh good. He knows the polite way of saying torturing for information.”

“Once he’s gotten what he can from them, I’ll let you know immediately,” the man continued, not aware he was being talked over. “As for the request, it’s about the Ashen Wolves. You see, while I do what I can for them here in Abyss, I am a man of the church, not a teacher. I know that your current class takes priority, but I am hoping that you would be able to spend some time instructing them. They may be stuck here in Abyss, but that doesn’t mean that they will be forever, nor that they don’t deserve a chance to improve themselves.”

That request honestly surprised Byleth, not just because of who was asking it but also because of the request itself. She had only been teaching for a few months, and she still felt like she was making it up as she went along. “I’m not sure,” Byleth finally said. “I’m not really experienced with teaching.” 

“That’s understandable,” Aelfric said looking slightly disappointed. “If you change your mind, please let me know. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, but thank you.” answered Byleth. As she went to stand up, however, Aelfric spoke again. It wasn’t a simple goodbye like she expected, however.

“You know,” he started, getting her attention, “you remind me of a woman who used to live here long ago. Someone dear to me. Her name was Sitri.”

Those words caused Byleth to freeze for several seconds before she replied, still halfway out of her chair. “You knew my mother?” she asked, her voice quiet even in the calm silence of the room.

“Sitri was your mother?” Aelfric asked, his face bearing a surprised look. “You bear a striking resemblance to her, but her child supposedly died in a fire years ago.”

“No, my father managed to save me and then left the church,” explained Byleth. 

“WHY DO YOU ALWAYS TELL EVERYONE EVERYTHING?!” Sothis yelled, almost causing Byleth to lose her composure.

“I remember how happy she was when she learned she was with child,” Aelfric said. “I’m sure that she would be so happy if she was to meet you now. Feel free to ask me anything you want about her. I’m sure you have many questions.” 

The blue haired woman sat down slowly, racking her brain for questions that she wanted to ask the man, her distrust put aside for the moment.

\-- 3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Dimitri --

Something kept bugging the prince of Faerghus as the students were led around the underground town by the Ashen Wolves. While Professor Eisner was the most mysterious of the Black Eagles, all of them seemed to be part of some secret surrounding her. There were several times where nobody seemed to talk about what had happened or if they did talk about what happened it was almost impossible to believe. She had been given a relic that she was able to use without a crest stone, and then she had vanished, followed by her entire class, and then returned obviously injured and then was requested by the archbishop. Even the last mission she had been on was odd. Ingrid had gone with them, but since returning yesterday she had seemed distant and hadn’t talked about it at all beyond saying they had completed their task. Just what was going on around her?

And then there was Edelgard, who was coldly polite but treated Dimitri as if they were strangers. She still held onto the dagger he had given her all those years ago, however, making him question just what was going on. He couldn’t think of anything he had done, but something must have happened between their time together as children and when they met again at the officer’s academy.

Then there was also the question he had been trying to answer for so long of what really happened during the Tragedy of Duscur. Now it felt as if all of these mysteries and oddities were compounding on one another, overwhelming him. Honestly, even though it was surprising, Abyss seemed relatively normal to those other secrets.

“Here is our humble market,” Constance said as she gestured to the jerry-built stands around them, bringing Dimitri out of his thoughts.

“It looks a little run down,” Balthus remarked, “but we do the best with what we have.”

“For once our dear Balthus is correct,” agreed Constance. “Here is where you will find all that you could possibly need before we head out once more. In addition, there’s also a fine tavern up these stairs.” With this Constance led the group up the steps she mentioned and headed left at the landing. Down to the right, however, there was an open doorway that led to a room which, despite the lack of light inside, seemed to contain mountains of books. Perhaps that held some answers, although combing through it would be difficult in the short time they had.

“Before you is the grand tavern of Abyss!” Balthus exclaimed. “If you ever need a drink or something to soothe your roaring stomach, this is the place to get it!”

“BALTHUS!” a man yelled from the other side of the filled room. “WHERE’S MY MONEY?!”

“Uhhh,” the brawler drawled before launching into action, pushing the group out the door. “Right, tour’s over, let’s go back to your professor, right? You’re probably worried sick about her.” 

As they were turned around and forced out of the tavern, Dimitri realized that Linhardt was missing. “It seems we’ve lost one of our number,” he said to the group.

The others began to look around and immediately Edelgard spoke. “Damn him,” she muttered. “Linhardt will be wherever there are books or a place to nap.”

“Then what used to be a library is probably the best bet,” suggested Hapi. “I know I’ve taken naps in there before. We passed it on the way here.”

“Could you lead us there?” Edelgard asked, earning a nod from the red haired girl. “Thank you.”

With that, Hapi and the other Ashen Wolves led them back the way they came, past the stairs and into that dark room from earlier, the scent of old leather and dust filling his nose. As Dimitri had suspected, it was filled with piles and piles of books, along with shelves that were somewhat filled as well. 

“Linhardt!” Edelgard called out, and immediately shuffling and movement could be heard from the other side of the room. “Is that you? You disappeared without letting anyone know where you were going.”

More shuffling was heard before the healer’s voice was heard, although he was still not seen. “I’m in here. I’ll admit I got a bit distracted when I saw the books. There are some very interesting works here. Some that may even interest the professor.” As he said this he came around a heap of books, one of the dusty tomes in hand. He looked up, and upon seeing the others snapped the book closed.

“Well, let's get going then,” Hapi remarked. “Now that you know where to spend your money we should talk with Yuri and figure out what the next step is.” With this she began to lead the group out of the dark room, but as the others turned around Dimitri saw out of the corner of his eye Linhardt put the book he had been holding into his bag before following.

While heading back to the bunkroom, Constance split off, saying that she was going to check on Yuri. As they got back, however, they found Hilda asleep on the top bunk but the professor was missing, immediately causing Edelgard to launch into a verbal assault on Claude. She did calm down a little however when it was pointed out that her weapon was gone as well, suggesting that she had gone of her own volition. Thankfully for the Golden Deer house leader, Byleth rounded the corner with Aelfric, Constance, and Yuri.

“What’s all this noise for?” Aelfric asked, only to immediately be ignored.

“Professor!” Edelgard exclaimed, turning her attention from Claude. “We were worried as to where you had gone.”

“I went to talk with Aelfric, and then Yuri and Constance came and got us,” the professor said as an explanation. “Apparently the mercenaries didn’t reveal anything.”

“It’s more like they didn’t know anything,” Yuri corrected.

Edelgard was the next to add to the conversation. “Well, with the knight from the Holy Mausoleum attacking them and his likelihood of being involved with the kidnapping of Flayn makes me think that they aren’t involved with her disappearance.”

“Then what are they here for?” Dimitri posed.

“From what I could gather,” answered Yuri, “whoever hired them is looking for something.”

“They must be on a treasure hunt or something!” Balthus exclaimed.

The large man’s words seemed to make Aelfric think, which was immediately called out by Linhardt. “Do you know of anything that could be here that would be worth the effort they’ve gone through, Aelfric was it?”

“The only thing that comes to mind is merely a preposterous legend at best.”

“Don’t discount something just because it’s strange,” Claude remarked. “There’s usually a bit of truth to them.”

“Anything that may be a lead would help us determine what to do next,” Dimitri added.

At the prodding from the students, Aelfric began to tell of this legend. “Supposedly, deep underground, below even Abyss, is a place called the Chasm of the Bound wherein lies the Chalice of Beginnings.”

“The Chalice of Beginnings?” Professor Eisner asked, clearly as confused as the rest of them.

“It is linked to a ritual called the Rite of Rising, which was said to have been performed by Saint Serios herself, along with the Four Apostles. This ritual failed however, and the Four Apostles bound the chalice so that it’s power would not fall into the hands of others.”

“I remember my father telling me of this ritual!” Constance exclaimed. “It is a secret ritual that can supposedly bring back the dead.”

“Well, it’s no wonder that people are after it then,” Dimitri commented.

“While it’s not much to go on,” Edelgard added, “we have to find more information about this relic so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

Aelfric nodded before stating his agreement. “Yes, if it is indeed the Chalice of Beginnings that they are after, then we need to stop them. I will look for information within the church itself, although with how… well curated the library is, I don’t know how much I’ll find.”

“Then we shall split up and look for information around Abyss,” Constance replied. “Perhaps we will even find information regarding the missing girl, as it does seem that her captors are using Abyss to hide.”

With that settled on, Aelfric left and the rest went their separate ways, although Dimitri caught sight of Linhardt holding back Edelgard and the professor. Hoping to learn what they were up to, the prince of Faerghus made to leave, but stopped just outside the door, leaving the three of them alone in the bunk room.

“What is it, Linhardt?” Edelgard could be heard asking quietly, Dimitri having to struggle to hear them as the door was closed.

“It’s about what I found in the library,” Linhardt answered. “I thought you and the professor would want to know about this.” A soft rustling was heard, making the blonde student think that the healer was pulling out the book from earlier. “I was just browsing the books when I stumbled across this.”

The other side of the door was quiet for quite a while before Edelgard was heard once again. “It’s you, professor. The other you.”

“Other you?” Dimitri whispered to himself, wondering just what that meant.

“What are you up to over here?” Claude asked from right next to Dimitri, causing him to jump and let out a yelp before he immediately covered his mouth. Before he could give an answer however, the door flew open and an furious Edelgard was revealed, causing Claude’s face to immediately drop.

“Are you two eavesdropping?” the white haired girl angrily accused as the professor leaned out from the doorway.

Dimitri knew that he was already in trouble, so he decided to try and get some answers out of it. “What did you mean by the professor’s ‘other you’?” he asked, immediately causing the two women to go pale and causing him to regret his question for less than a second before Edelgard grabbed the shirts of both Claude and Dimitri, dragging them inside the room and slamming the door closed.

“What did I get dragged into?” Claude asked quietly, obviously confused. “Both literally and figuratively.”

“I know that something is up with the professor,” Dimitri pressured, “and it seems like all of the Black Eagles are in on it.”

“I’m curious as well,” Claude added. “I haven’t gotten a peep out of Lysithea or Leonie about what happened when you came back all injured, professor.”

Edelgard, Linhardt, and the professor all looked at each other, as if there was some sort of silent discussion going on between them. After many agonizing seconds, the professor spoke up.

“To say that I’m… not normal” began the blue haired woman, “would be quite an understatement. I’m not going to tell the whole story here, but I’m able to change into a large form that, apparently, looks like this.”

With that she got the book from Linhardt and began flipping through it until she apparently came to the page she wanted before turning the book around to show the two other house leaders. Depicted on this page were several drawings, from various angles and close ups, of a creature that could only be described as monstrous. It had long, powerful looking limbs that ended in pointed claws, and from the front of it’s scaled body was a thick yet long neck that ended in a reptilian head whose most striking features were horns coming from the top and a gaping maw filled with razor sharp teeth. The other end of its body bore a tail longer than its neck and large, bat-like wings were attached just behind it’s shoulders. The most daunting feature, though, was the size of the human beside it. It could only be there for scale, as there wasn’t enough detail for it to have any features, but it showed that this beast was easily as big as a decent sized house.

“So,” Claude said while Dimitri was still processing this news, “you’re telling us that you can transform into this monster?”

The professor nodded as she spoke, answering Claude’s question. “Yes. I’ve been able to since I was a little girl, although I wasn’t always that big.” As she says that last bit she points to the depiction with the small human next to the beast.

“This is insane,” Dimitri whispered, drawing the attention of the others.

“Why is this so strange, Dimitri?” Edelgard asked, her tone sharp and cutting. “We live in a world where Crests allow people to do incredible feats and wield weapons of terrible power, and giant beasts are known to roam the wilds. Why is this so unbelievable?”

The leader of the Blue Lions stared at Edelgard and the professor, flipping between them several times before giving an answer. “Because that isn’t turning into a beast the size of a house! Every monster I’ve ever seen has been little more than a creature fueled by instinct, and you want to tell me that this mysterious woman can change into one?” As Dimitri said this he leveled his finger at the professor.

“I know this is strange,” Linhardt said, “but I’ve seen it myself.”

Even with another person speaking up to confirm this strange secret, Dimitri still couldn’t believe it. “But… how? How could this exist and it not be known? This isn’t some conspiracy, it’s a beast the size of a house. This has to be some kind of trick to keep the truth from us.”

As Dimitri spoke, the professor turned to Edelgard, quietly asking for something to which the white haired girl nodded and reached to her belt, handing the professor a familiar dagger. Without giving any chance for the two other house leaders to react, the blue haired woman drew the knife and pulled it across the back of her arm, causing them to wince sympathetically before they saw green blood ooze from the cut.

Claude was the first to respond, breaking his long silence. “Well, that’s definitely not normal.”

“The reason that you don’t hear about it is because people like me were hunted or shunned,” the professor explained. “Treated as beasts or monsters. I’ve met only one person like me, and most of the people who have learned what I am have either attacked me or ran from me.”

“Then why tell us?” Dimitri asked. “Why take that risk. What if we told people about you?”

“Then I’d probably have to flee, depending on the response,” admitted the professor. “But most of the people here who have learned what I am haven’t responded poorly. And if we had lied to you, you may have found out some other time and reacted out of fear.”

“Well,” Claude uttered, getting everyone’s attention, “this is a lot to take in, but we have a job to do as well. There are mercenaries looking for a relic that can bring people back from the dead and Flayn has been kidnapped by a man who dresses up like the grim reaper. And those both sound far less strange now.”

“While I’m sure you both have questions,” agreed Edelgard, “there are many things that we have to get done. Linhardt, could you comb through the books for anything related to the Rite of Rebirth or the Chasm of the Bound?” When the green haired healer nodded she turned to Claude and Dimitri. “You two should each meet up with the others from your house and the Ashen Wolves and see how to best apply yourselves. The professor and I will do the same, but I want to make sure she doesn’t run off like earlier.” As she said this she turned to the professor, her expression softening. “You still don’t look well, if I’m honest.”

“Well, I’ll take this chance to get out of the angry princesses hair,” Claude remarked as he headed out of the room. Dimitri followed suit, much quieter than the dark haired student. As he left he couldn’t help but think that there was more to this that they weren’t being told, but at least some of the mystery was answered.

\--3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard --

With the other two house leaders out of the room, and Edelgard making sure they weren’t just outside the door again, the three Black Eagles continued their discussion.

“That could have gone better,” the imperial princess remarked, “but what was it that you found aside from the drawings, Linhardt?”

Linhardt reached over to Byleth, taking her arm and beginning to heal the cut she had given herself as he spoke. “Like I was saying, the drawing caught my eye but I was looking through the book because of its title, ‘Forms of the Divine’. What I skimmed over was mostly describing the saints and their actions, but this specific chapter is about the goddess. It alleges that there were several times where she took this form, although it was a more common occurrence before a war that is mentioned, though it doesn’t say who fought it. If you want a more complete summary, I’ll have to take my time reading through this work though.”

Both Edelgard and Byleth simply stared at Linhardt, shocked at his stumbling upon this trove of information. Byleth, however, recomposed herself first and agreed with Linhard’s suggestion. “You do that, but make sure that nobody else knows of that book,” she said. “It would probably get you in trouble with the church.”

Linhardt nodded in agreement as he took the book back, storing it in his bag. “Then I’ll save it for later and look in the library for anything about the Chasm of the Bound.” With that he headed out of the room, leaving the two women alone.

“How are you doing?” Edelgard asked as soon as the door closed. She had been wanting to get some alone time with Byleth for a while, but the hecticness of recent events had kept them apart or with others. “You worried me when we found you curled up earlier.”

Byleth moved over to the bunk and took a seat, Edelgard following to sit beside her, before she replied. “I’m not doing great,” the blue haired woman admitted. “When we fought in the arena earlier, I tried to fight, to draw the mercenaries towards me, but when I killed one, suddenly it wasn’t my blade in an unknown warrior, but it was one of the spike from Miklan, buried in Ferdinand’s chest. That gave the other mercenaries enough time to get me with a spear, so Sothis rewound time. But I just kept seeing Ferdinand, the light leaving his eyes just like they did in the tower.”

“But none of us got seriously wounded in the tower,” Edelgard said before suddenly it hit her. “Oh. Were turning back time to save us, weren’t you. That’s why we were all fine, and why you wanted us out of danger.”

The only response she got from Byleth was a nod as the woman brought her knees up to her chest, her cornflower eyes filled with pain.

“Just how many times have you seen us die?” Edelgard asked, dreading the answer to the question but needing to understand just what Byleth was going through.

For quite a while, the professor didn’t answer, simply sitting wrapped up in herself. When she finally did speak, however, Edelgard got her horrifying answer. “Dozens,” Byleth whispered, her single word hitting the princess like a wall. “The tower alone had to be turned back 11 times, and even then Dorothea still got hurt.” These revelations left Edelgard speechless, and eventually Byleth continued. “It used to be easier. I could ignore when people I didn’t know died, and I mostly just knew my dad. I didn’t have many friends, and there were only a few people in the company I cared for. But now it’s like I’m being worn down, slowly getting thinner and thinner and each time I meet someone new, I have to weigh getting to know them with the fact that I’ll have to watch them die over and over. And now it’s seeming like soon I’ll have to either let the people I care about, like my dad, and you, and all the Black Eagles, die, or…”

As Byleth trailed off, Edelgard spoke up. “Or what, Byleth? What is the other option? Surely if we know what can be done we can find a way to make this work.”

Byleth turned her head to look at Edelgard, her eyes watering, as she replied. “You know how Yuri described the Ashen Demon? Those are times where I was forced to transform in battle. There were only rumors because nobody was left alive. Fields of blood and bodies all so that I could keep those I care about alive. And I don’t want to go back to that, but I don’t see a way to avoid it.”

Edelgard understood Byleth’s desire more than most. It reminded her of her own desires, down in the damp and dark cells she was kept in with her siblings. How she wanted to save them, and how she was so determined, as it slowly became clearer and clearer that the odds of any of them getting to see the sun again were dwindling, to survive and make sure it didn’t happen to anyone else. A few months ago, she would have told Byleth that she should do what she must to protect those she holds dear. But now she knew that the answer wasn’t to shoulder that kind of burden alone. “Then rely on us,” she said to Byleth, placing her hand on the woman’s knee. “We’ll do what we can to help you out. We’ll get stronger so that we can support you. So that you don’t have to worry. You taught me that I don’t have to carry my burdens alone, but that means that you don’t have to either.”

No words came from the blue haired woman. Instead she latched herself onto Edelgard, burying her face in the other’s uniform as silent tears rolled down her face. In response Edelgard simply wrapped her arm around Byleth’s shoulders, the two of them simply sitting together until Ashe came to let them know that a lead had been found.

\-- 3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Claude --

Constance had gathered all of the ad hoc group, with the exception of Edelgard and the professor, who Ashe had volunteered to go find, and brought them to meet with Aelfric. Apparently she wanted to convince him to let them search for the Chalice. Aelfric seemed to disagree however. He told them to not search out the Chalice, his reason being he didn’t want to lose any more people just for a chance to find it. Once he left, however, Constance seemed undeterred.

“When the others arrive, we shall depart!” she claimed energetically. 

“Didn’t you hear what Elfie said, Coco?” questioned Hapi.

Constance wasted no time in giving an explanation to the group. “Of course I did! But It’s obvious that Aelfric wants a solution as much as we do. So, if we collect the chalice and bring it to the church, we shall remove the threat of attack from Abyss and provide additional security against its theft.” As the Abyssian mage finished summarizing her plan, Ashe came in, leading Edelgard and the professor. “You have arrived at the perfect time!” Constance said as a greeting to the three newcomers. “We are just about to depart to find the Chalice.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be protected by some kind of binding?” Claude countered. “How are we going to get through that?”

“That is simplicity itself!” Constance exclaimed. “We shall first ascertain whether it is still bound, and then... we shall release it!”

“Uhhh…” drawled Balthus, expressing the opinion of the group at that oversimplified claim. “Even if it was that easy, we don’t know where the chasm is.”

That put a smug look on Constance’s face as she replied. “As luck would have it, I have discovered yet another secret passage! It appears to go deep underground. According to my superior instincts, it undoubtedly leads to the Chasm of the Bound!”

“Huh. I suppose it's worth a look,” Yuri remarked “I don't care about finding some old cup, but if it could help us protect Abyss, I'll support the cause.”

“As much as I want to get back to searching for Flayn,” Claude said, “I think that getting these mercenaries out of here is probably more important. And I’m a little curious about this whole chalice business.”

When there were no objections, Constance cheered. “Then it’s settled! We’ll depart immediately.”

As Constance headed off in the direction everyone presumed the secret passage was, the rest filtered out of the room to follow her, eventually arriving at a seemingly random spot in a hallway. Quickly it was revealed to not be random, as after a few quick presses of carefully selected stones in the wall it creaked open, another hallway on the other side. The group proceeded down this new path for what seemed like hours. As they were beginning to worry, however, a light from around a bend in the tunnel filled them with hope, all but one of them rushing towards it. The group found themselves in what seemed like a narrow canyon. As their eyes travelled up the immense rock walls around them they saw a line crossing at the top of the gap.

“Is that… the bridge into Garreg Mach?” Dimitri posed.

Claude let out a whistle before adding his own thoughts about the situation. “I never thought I’d be staring up at the bridge I’ve crossed thousands of times from… to far below to even guess. Although this definitely counts as a chasm if you ask me.”

“How do we even know if it’s the right one though?” Yuri asked.

“It should be,” Constance’s voice called from the entrance of the tunnel. “I hope it is.”

“What are you doing back there?” Edelgard asked in response. “You were the one who was so insistent that we find the chalice.”

Constance’s face shifted through several emotions before finally settling on scared anger as she yelled her reply. “Fine! I’ll come join you over there. Satisfied?” She started stomping over but as she crossed into the sunlight she withdrew in on herself. As she got to the group she spoke again, this time much more quietly. “Oh, I was very rude just then. Please forgive me.” Immediately all but the Ashen Wolves had confused looks on their faces.

“No matter how far underground, I guess sunlight is still sunlight,” Balthus said as he shook his head. “Poor Constance.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Byleth asked, her voice filled with worry.

“This is what Constance is like in the sunlight,” Hapi explained, moving behind Constance. “It’s why she lives underground. I’ll keep her moving.” 

As Hapi began to push her forward, Constance let out quiet objections, but they were drowned out by a loud mechanical noise, and a large golem emblazoned with a Crest of Serios rounded a bend in the canyon, setting everyone into action.

\-- 3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Hapi --

The group made it through the first golem only to see more as they pushed forward. Unlike the previous fight the professor lady seemed to actually fight, and Hapi had to admit that she was really good. She had started yelling orders as soon as they had encountered larger groups and seemed to understand what everyone was good at. This led to the battle going in their favor and most of the forces being dealt with rather quickly. The problem now was trying to figure out which of the statues behind enemy lines were required to disarm the defenses. Yuri-bird was running around with the professor defending him while he tried to use the key they had gotten from the big golem at the various statues. An excited yell came from the pair, inspiring hope but that was quickly dashed as more of the ghostly soldiers appeared. 

“Try another one,” the professor said as she moved with Yuri-bird to another statue, cutting down a spectral knight as she ran past.

Hapi, previously having been in the back lines, suddenly found herself unprotected from the new arrivals. She quickly unleashed a miasma at the closest one, causing it to disappear in a cloud of black magic. 

An arrow slammed into another one of the summoned fighters, causing it to stagger as Claude nocked another arrow, turning to face the threat that had appeared with her.

The two of them managed to slow the reinforcements, but they weren’t able to stop it, and with the decreased support the group’s forward assault had slowed considerably. As the ghostly warriors were just about to get within range to attack with their blades and spears they vanished and the ground began to rumble. Hapi turned towards the front of the group and saw light pouring from the rock wall.

Everyone converged at the hole the light had been pouring from and immediately Coco pulled something from the gap. That seemed to spark everyone to start talking, mainly in ways that made Hapi not pay attention. They seemed to agree that it was the chalice thing they were looking for, and began to head back, when suddenly Coco started yelling.

“Run!” she screamed as a thundering grew louder behind her. “There’s more golems!”

From behind her a large golem was seen, along with more smaller golems and many of those spectral soldiers. This spurred everyone into action and the group made haste back the way they had come from, heading towards the opening of the tunnel. As they made it inside they slowed, hoping that the golem wouldn’t follow. That wish didn’t come true, however, as it began to clamber inside the hallway, banging around as it moved slowly but persistently towards them. Thankfully it was slow enough that walking quickly was able to keep them out of it’s reach, but that still meant several hours of travel being chased. By the time they were nearing Abyss, the exertion was beginning to show.

“My poor legs,” Coco lamented. “I have been remiss to neglect my lower...body exercise as of late…”

“Don't give up,” Yuri-bird responded, trying to keep everyone going. “We're almost back to Abyss! What a damn mess we've gotten ourselves into…”

Hapi didn’t get the same inspiration from those words, however, and voiced her hopelessness. “We should give up. Just throw the chalice at the big one and be done with it. It doesn't seem like they're gonna ease off. If that doesn't work, I guess we're dead.”

“Ahaha!” Coco laughed. “I think not! I shall never surrender! I shall not die until I have achieved my glorious aim! But for crying out loud... those creepy toy things must love a good chase. They won't let up!

“Not to mention the enemies that look like phantoms,” added Yuri-bird. “Further measures to protect the chalice, I'm sure. Maybe Hapi's right, and this won't stop so long as we have the artifact.”

“We can't lead them back to Abyss,” Ashe cried out, “or the people there will be in danger!”

“Then we’ll have to fight them,” the professor said. As she said this, Hapi noticed something odd. Everyone else was suffering the effects of their chase, but she seemed to be completely fine. She wasn’t even breathing heavy.

“Agreed,” Yuri-bird said, snapping Hapi from her thought. “But first, let's run a bit farther. I know a good place to keep the enemy at bay.”

“Oh yeah!” exclaimed B. “The gates! They're so damn sturdy I nearly broke my priceless fist on one once.”

“You punched one?” Coco shrieked. “Like a brute?! Ugh! Why must you always behave in such an infantile manner?”

“He probably thought that was the best way to test its sturdiness,” Hapi deadpanned. “He doesn't have bad intentions, he's just that dumb.”

“Balthus,” Yuri-bird threatened. “If you broke the mechanism, I'm sacrificing you to the creepy doll.”

With that settled they picked up the pace, rushing past the secret door and following Yuri-bird to the gates. In the larger passages of Abyss proper the golem was able to chase them properly, however, and it’s tireless form slowly gained on the group. By the time the first gate was in sight, it was almost within striking distance.

“I don’t think we can fight that thing in our current state,” Edelgard called out as they ran.

“It’s definitely a tough one,” B agreed, “It could even flatten me from the looks of it.”

As the front of the group got to the gate, they found themselves unable to budge it. “It isn’t moving even the tiniest amount!” Dimitrie yelled as he strained against the metal structure.

“There’s a lever over there” Hapi said as she pointed. “Maybe that opens it, but whoever pulls it will be really far behind”

At that the professor yelled out to the group as she started sprinting towards the lever. “Get ready to go!” As soon as she reached the metal device she pushed it as hard as she could, and with a loud clang the gate began to move. The others poured through and as soon as the gate was fully open they saw the blue haired woman wrench the lever the other way, snapping the shaft off.

“What are you doing?!” Coco called out as the gate began to shut again.

Instead of responding the professor simply bolted towards the gate even faster than she had run from it, almost to the point of her speed seeming inhuman. Even with that speed she barely made it through the closing barrier, getting through just before the gap became too small for anyone to pass through.

Most of the group were stunned by this display, but Edelgard simply chastised the woman. “What would you have done if you hadn’t made it through?” she asked angrily. “Would you have tried to fight that mechanical menace?”

Without even taking a second to catch her breath the professor responded. “I mean, it would be that or try to find another way around.”

A slap immediately rang out and suddenly the professor was on the floor, her hand on her face.

“Did you forget everything we talked about?!” screamed Edelgard. “About not having to do everything alone? About not having to take every risk yourself? Surely you can imagine how it would have felt if I had to watch you die to that mechanical monstrosity!”

The professor didn’t respond, instead staring down at the floor with a sheepish expression on her face as everyone simply stood there, shocked by the scene before them. Yuri-bird was the first to compose himself again and quickly tried to get everyone back on track. “Well, if that’s done wit-” he started before someone called out from behind them, interrupting him.

“The boss was right!” a woman dressed like the mercenaries from earlier yelled. “They did come back. Didja get the treasure-thingy? The treasure-majig? Whatever it was called? Hand it over!” 

“We’re tired and sweaty and don’t want to fight!” Hilda yelled back. “Read the room lady!”

“Hey now,” B said to Hilda. “Tone it down a bit. Holst will kill me if you get hurt, so maybe don’t antagonize them, yeah?”

“Out of one fire and into another,” Hapi remarked. “Can’t we just have a little bit of time to rest?”

“Run here, fight that, now run over here,” Linhardt added with a yawn. “I just want some shuteye.”

“We can rest later,” Yuri-bird said. “Right now we need to get the chalice to the church. If you two are done with your little spat,” he added to Edelgard and the professor, “then we could use you in this fight.”

As the group readied themselves more mercenaries came around the corner, although none of them looked particularly tough. As their number stopped growing the first of the mercenaries charged, running at the students only to be met by arrows and magic that tore into them. After that initial wave it was the student’s turn to attack, and so Dimitri and B charged forward with Edelgard and the professor following after, cleaving though the mercenaries. Combined with more support from the archers and mages they mopped up the last of their obstacles and headed towards Abyss, their destination finally within reach.

\-- 3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Yuri --

If everything was proceeding as planned, then Aelfric should have been ‘abducted’ by now. And as they entered Abyss the two men who ran up to them confirmed that had happened. Yuri ordered them to alert the church, and now all he had to do was guide them to the next part of Aelfric’s plan. Hopefully he would be able to set up everything that was needed to stop the plan as well. The professor had seemed a bit spotty when he first met her, but she had proven herself to be a potent ally, and the fact that Aelfric didn’t know just how potent was would make it much easier to get everyone out of this mess.

The first thing they had to do was take care of whatever damage was caused by the abduction, which hopefully wouldn’t be much. “Gather up anyone who was injured and we’ll heal them,” ordered Yuri, causing some of the guard to rush away. “Where are Hapi and Linhardt?”

“We’re over here, Yuri-bird,” Hapi called out as the two of them walked into the room, a piece of paper in her hand. “We found this in the classroom.”

“It looks like some sort of fancy letter,” Balthus said.

“That’s because it is,” Hapi replied before reading the letter. “We have abducted Cardinal Aelfric. We can guarantee his safety, for now. If you want to help him, meet us tomorrow evening in the ruins of the old chapel. Bring the chalice. Know that if you alert the knights, the cardinal's life will be forfeit.”

“That sounds like a ransom note,” the professor commented.

“No doubt about it,” added Balthus. “It was definitely left by whoever kidnapped Aelfric.”

“Wait,” Constance said, getting everyone’s attention. “This means that they have been waiting for us to get the chalice to strike.”

“Yeah,” Hapi replied. “That’s kinda what the note means.”

“But how did they even know we were looking for it?” posed Constance. “It must mean that there is someone in Abyss who is giving them information.”

“That means we have a rat,” Yuri agreed. “As much as I hate the idea of leaving a leak sitting around, we have to focus on getting Aelfric back first.”   
  
“Too true,” Constance replied. “That is not a matter we can put on hold.”

“Then let’s get to taking care of any injured first, and we can make a plan to get Aeferic back,” directed Yuri. “We’ll set up anyone with healing magic in the bunks. Everyone else should go and find any injured and bring them there.”

Immediately two groups formed, each of them going to their respective duties. While the others began to search for any injured people, Yuri, Constance, Linhardt, and the professor headed towards the bunkrooms. Before too long the first people started showing up needing healing, escorted by the other students. While they were healing the citizens of Abyss, Yuri continued to think about how to get the professor’s help without putting others in danger. His mind returned to the spat between the professor and the imperial princess at the gate. Obviously there was something going on between them beyond just the standard student teacher relationship, although just what was still undetermined. That could be levied to convince the professor, but it could also cause animosity. No, that was too risky. He had to give her a lead to the ritual, but how would he know that she would follow through with it? What could be used to get her interested?

“We got lucky that not many people were injured,” Claude said as he and the others walked into the bunk room. “Far less than I would have thought for a daylight kidnapping. And they were all minor too.”

“They must have truly been interested in just Aelfric,” Dimitri remarked.

At the other two house leader’s words, Edelgard put forth an idea. “Perhaps they were trying to keep injuries minimal on purpose.”

“I thought the secret cardinals were really a myth,” Hilda said. “If Aelfric really is one, I can see why they would take him.”

“Did any of you Ashen Wolves know about this?” Linhardt asked.

“It’s news to me.” Balthus said. “Their identity is secret, isn’t it? He wouldn’t tell any of us that. Oh, except maybe Yuri.”

“We discussed many things,” Yuri began, “but that wasn’t one of them. But we need to get back to the important topic. Aelfric has been kidnapped. We need a plan.”

“Even if it would make rescuing him easier, we can’t hand over the chalice.” Constance suggested.

Hapi, however, voiced her opinion to the other option. “I say we just give it to them and be done with it.”

It seemed like the professor was about to speak up when suddenly a group of knights entered the room. “Professor! I didn’t expect to see you down here. We were sent to aid with the rescue of Aelfric.”

Everyone seemed to be looking at this new knight with surprise at his sudden arrival when Yuri spoke up. “Professor,” he began to ask, “is this loud and… uh… excitable knight a friend of yours?”

“Yes,” Byleth answered. “This is Alois. He can be trusted.”

The large man shied a bit at that comment before speaking. “You honor me, Professor. But about Aelfric’s kidnapping. Because he is an important member of the church, we’ve been instructed to do whatever we can to recover him. Unfortunately, the majority of the knights have been deployed to deal with the remnants of the Western Church.”

“Hey,” Balthus replied,” some knights are better than no knights, am I right?”

“Indeed!” Alois answered. “While we may not be in full force, at least we’re quite forceful!”

“Alright, enough of that,” interjected Yuri. “Here’s a letter that we believe was left by whoever took Aelfric. They list their demands clearly. They want a chalice that was hidden beneath Abyss.”

The boisterous knight took the offered letter and read through it before speaking again. “A chalice? Do you mean the Chalice? Why would it be here? I’ve never heard anything about it being stored in Abyss.”

“Well then get ready for a surprise,” Balthus said as he lifted up the chalice.

“By the Goddess! Is that really it?” Alois exclaimed.

“The odds are unassailably high, yes.” Constance responded.

Hapi stepped out from the back of the group to add her own words as well. “A bunch of creepy golems were guarding it.”

“Please believe us,” Byleth pleaded to the knight.

“I do, professor,” Alois replied. “If this is the case, however, we have to report it to Lady Rhea at once.”

“Then let’s go,” Yuri said. “The sooner we get Aelfric back, the sooner this can all be done with.”

The knights and students immediately made for the surface, the daylight causing them to wince as their eyes adjusted. Now they could tell that it was nearing evening as the sun was making its descent. As they made their way to the meet with the Archbishop, Yuri could feel the stares, the students and monks gawking at the strange, hurried group. They had more important things to worry about, however. Alois led them to the audience chamber, where Lady Rhea was talking with a monk. When she saw the new arrivals, however, she immediately started to clear the room.

“I’m sorry,” she said to the monk, “but we’ll have to pick this up later. The aides can see you out for now.” With that two one of the people standing to the side came up and spoke to the monk quietly as she led them out, the others following as well. “Alois. I’m surprised to see you so soon after you were dispatched. And with the Ashen Wolves as well as Professor Eisner and several students no less.”

“Well, Lady Rhea, there has been a development in the search for Cardinal Aelfric that required your immediate attention.” Alois answered. “His kidnappers are demanding the Chalice of Beginnings in exchange for his life.”

The Archbishop’s face lost its calm expression at that, replaced by one of shock. “How would they know of that?” she asked.

“We think there’s a snitch in Abyss,” Balthus commented. 

Lady Rhea looked to the brawler with confusion. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. “How would a snitch lead to the Chalice being requested?”

“Because they have found it,” Alois answered. “These students and the Professor found the Chalice beneath Abyss.” With this Balthus held up the Chalice, causing the Archbishop to step forward.

“Explain to me what exactly happened.” she commanded, her face no longer shocked but almost grim instead.

\--3rd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

After recounting the tale of what happened to the Archbishop and convincing her to allow them to use the Chalice to trap the kidnappers, the group split up. The Ashen Wolves had returned to Abyss for the night while the Academy students and Byleth rested in their rooms on the surface, agreeing to meet up in the morning to plan their meeting with the kidnappers. The students all went to their dorms, having been told by the Archbishop to not inform others of the situation. Despite feeling drained from the events of the past week Byleth knew that if she tried to sleep she would simply end up twisting and turning for hours. Instead she started going through the routines she had learned from her father and other mercenaries, trying to sort out all the thoughts in her head that kept bouncing around, reminding her of what she had seen. Before she could get any progress made however, a trio of knocks rang out from her door. The blue haired woman got up and as she answered the door she revealed a familiar set of periwinkle eyes.

“Professor,” Edelgard asked in a formal tone, “may I come in?”

Byleth didn’t say anything, instead simply standing aside to allow entry. Edelgard took the invitation and once she was inside Byleth closed the door. The two stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move until, after a bit of awkward shuffling, Edelgard spoke. “I want to apologize for my behavior earlier today. I let my emotions get the better of me and as a result I struck you. I want you to know that I will do eve-”

“Stop right there,” Byleth told Edelgard. The imperial princess stared at the blue haired woman with a look of fearful acceptance of whatever came next. “You don’t have to apologize. You didn’t hurt me, and I honestly needed it. If one of us should be apologizing, it’s me.” As Byleth admitted this, Edelgard’s expression changed to one of confusion while Byleth continued, her head tilting down in shame. “You were right. I didn’t think of what you would feel if you saw me get injured or killed. I just thought that I could keep myself from seeing that happen to you or any of the others. And I did it right after we talked about not having to bear our burdens alone. So I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me for what I did at some point.”

“You’re a fool,” Edelgard admonished, causing Byleth’s head to snap up only to see a beaming smile on her face. “I didn’t lash out because I was angry. I did it because I was worried. When you rushed off on your own, I saw a ghost of who I used to be. Someone who didn’t let others in and felt like I couldn’t let others know how much pressure I was under. Someone who was on a path towards losing herself just to achieve a goal. And that’s the last thing I want.” As she said this Edelgard stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Byleth, holding her tight. “You were the one who made me realize that I don’t have to light myself on fire just to light my path. That there are people who are willing to help me if I let them in and give them the chance. So I worried that you would miss the very lesson you taught me.”

“I guess we both did things we aren’t proud of today,” Byleth remarked as she returned the embrace, settling her head against Edelgard’s. “But we’re trying to fix and learn from them, so I say we forgive ourselves and each other.”

“I can agree to that,” Edelgard replied.

Byleth and Edelgard simply stood there, wrapped up in each other’s embrace, for several minutes before the latter spoke up, her words muffled by her closeness to the former. “I hate that we can only act like this in secret. That we must hide our true feelings around others.”

“Well,” Byleth said, distracted by the feeling of Edelgards breath in the small gap between them, “we’ll have to leave the academy at some point. Then we can be as open with our affection wherever we want.”

“That is true,” agreed Edelgard. “Although I doubt our enemies will make that transition as easy as you make it seem. But that is talk for later. For now I want to enjoy being with you as much as I can before I have to return to my dorm.”

Neither of them spoke for the remainder of their time together that night, simply taking in as much of the other as they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed it! I have part of the next chapter written, and that should wrap up Cindered Shadows.


	32. Betrayal of All Kinds

\--4th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Byleth had left a little bit before the students, wanting to gather up the Ashen Wolves. After making her way through the twisting maze of stone halls that guarded Abyss, she found the Ashen Wolves already in the classroom, talking idly. They greeted the professor before returning to waiting in a mix of idle chatter and comfortable silence. It wasn’t long, however, before Balthus posed a question.

“Hey, Yuri,” began the brawler, “I’ve been meanin’ to ask this. How did you end up in Abyss?”

“Why are you so curious?” Yuri responded.

Hapi sat up from where she was slouched at a desk before adding her own opinion. “You’ve never been big on sharing. You know all about us, but there’s so much we don’t know about you.”

“We get it, talking about the past can be hard,” Balthus remarked. “But we’re curious, and we haven’t got much else to do while we wait. So get to it.”

“Well, I guess now’s a fine time,” the house leader replied. “I’m here because I killed some people from the church.”

Everyone seemed shocked by this revelation, but the professor was the first to speak up. “That seems too simple. There has to be more to the story, or the church wouldn’t let you live here.”

“Very astute,” Yuri acknowledged. “I used to attend the officer’s academy as Count Rowe’s adopted son. There came a point, however, when the church ordered me to remove some members of my old gang. They said it was part of a larger, more important mission.”

“What is this old gang you speak of?” asked Constance.

“To most they would be little more than common thieves,” answered Yuri. “But to me they were like family, so I protested my orders. This led to things getting a little heated, and the rest is history.”

“So he has a tumultuous past with the church?” Sothis posed, appearing beside Byleth. “Perhaps he can be an ally in the future.”

“That’s one hell of a story,” Balthus said. “You’re lucky the church didn’t just execute you then and there.”

Yuri nodded at this. “I know. Aelfric stepped in and implored that they spare my life. Told them to consider the circumstances. It’s not so different from your situations. I’m sure Aelfric has done quite a bit for each of us.”

“That’s for sure,” commented Hapi, stretching as she spoke. “He kept me from being thrown in the church’s underground jail because of my dangerous ‘gift’.”

“While it’s quite true that Aelfric has helped us, let us get back to the point,” Constance suggested. “Just why were you curious about, Balthus? Do you have some idea that may help with the current situation?”

“Something the Archbishop said has got me hung up,” the brawler admitted. “She said that the binding on the Chalice was linked to the four apostles. I know I’ve got Chevalier’s cres-”

“I think I know the answer to that,” chimed Linhardt as he and the other students entered the room. “I remembered reading something long ago about the Four Apostles. Specifically, their names came to mind. Aubin, Chevalier, Noa, and Timotheos. I thought that you four may have thoughts regarding that information.”

The Ashen Wolves looked around at each other awkwardly before Balthus answered. “No use in hiding it now, so we may as well play all our cards. I’ve got a Major Crest of Chevalier. When I enrolled in the Academy years ago, I was told to keep that to myself.”

“I’ve got the Major Crest of Aubin,” Yuri added. “No clue of who I got if from though.”

Constance cleared her throat before making her own statement. “The blood of Saint Noa courses through my veins. It was a secret my family kept even from the Empire.”

“Guess that means mine is Timotheos,” noted Hapi. “I remember being told my crest was rare.”

“So all four of the Apostles’s crests, which were thought to be lost to time, were gathered here in the Ashen Wolves?” Edelgard questioned.

“It would seem we have our buddy Aelfric to thank for that,” Claude added.

Dimitri continued the train of thought, bringing the kidnapping into it. “But then why was he abducted? If it was simply the Chalice they were after, it would have been far easier to steal it than to kidnap him, surely.”

“Maybe he crossed the wrong people and someone had it out for him,” suggested Balthus. “I know how quickly you can get into that situation.”

“It could also be entirely unrelated,” Yuri responded. “What if we’re trying to untangle this mess but instead adding more knots? You ended up here completely by accident, didn’t you Balthus? And I could have just as easily ended up somewhere else. We need to focus on what we know, and that’s that we have to prepare to meet the kidnappers at the chapel ruins.”

For the next several hours the group poured over everything they knew about the ruins and what strategies would and wouldn’t work. Eventually they settled on having the entire group together and using Hapi’s sigh to attract a monster either once they had gotten Aelfric away from the kidnappers or to cause enough of a distraction to rescue him. By the time they had finished planning, they only had an hour or so before they had to head out, so everyone began to ready themselves and their equipment.

It was while Byleth was doing this check to her armor that Yuri grabbed her attention, speaking as he leaned against the door frame to the room. “Professor, I’m glad I caught you.”

“What do you need?” Byleth asked while tightening some straps.

“I just have a recommendation for you, should you ever need some privacy to discuss whatever is happening between you and the Imperial Princess.” Yuri replied, causing Byleth to stop what she was doing and focus entirely on the purple haired rogue. “I’m not one to judge whatever it is you have, but, if you do find yourself needing somewhere that you can be alone for an extended period of time, I’ve found the Holy Mausoleum at midnight is quite the location. Although you have to be sure that you arrive at exactly midnight. Any before and someone might wonder what you’re doing there.”

Before the blue haired woman could get a sentence out Yuri turned and left, and when Byleth bolted out the door after him, he was nowhere in sight.

“That was ominous,” Sothis remarked, floating next to Byleth in the hallway. “At the very least he knows enough to make your life difficult.”

“Yeah,” mumbled Byleth, returning to the room and closing the door. “Although why would he offer that advice? He doesn’t seem like the type to just do something that doesn’t benefit him?”

Sothis brought her hand up to her chin at that, trying to think through the potential reason. “If he just wanted to get you in trouble, he could just go forth with what he seems to know. So why would he direct you to such a specific place?”

“We’ll have to find out later,” replied Byleth. “Right now, we don’t have time to do much aside from get ready.” With that she returned to her equipment, but the thought of what was happening behind the scenes with Yuri stayed in her mind.

\--4th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

When they arrived at the ruined chapel outside of town, the mercenaries were already there along with Aelfric, led by an unfortunately familiar face. The man who TWSITD had decided to serve as the muscle for their eventual attack on the Church, Metodey. If Metodey was leading the band of brigands, which meant that they were likely to be almost as bloodthirsty as he was. Thankfully he didn’t seem to expect the sudden appearance of monsters caused by Hapi’s sigh, so that threw his group into disarray. With this opportunity, Edelgard charged Metodey, hoping that she could get some information out of the man while they fought.

“Well,” the man chimed in as he dodged a swing of Edelgard’s axe, “what do we have here? If it isn’t the little Emperor of Fire. I wonder what possibly brought you here.” As he finished speaking he lunged forward with his sword, going wide at the last second.

While he may have been pretending to fight, not wanting to draw the ire of TWSITD, Edelgard saw no reason to hold back. Before she replied she launched herself at Metodey again, swinging her axe upwards and scraping the ground to launch dirt and grit at the mercenary with her strike. “I assure you, it is pure chance that I’m here. However, there are more pressing matters. Like what are you doing here?”

“Agh!” Metody exclaimed, stepping back and putting distance between the princess and himself.

“You may be nobility, but you definitely don’t have the manners of one.”

Edelgard stepped forward, trying to keep the pressure on the slimy man, and swung again. “I’m not sorry to disappoint you,” she replied. “Now tell me what you’re doing here.”

Barely dodging the last swing, Metody’s expression gained just a hint of fear, but suddenly he seemed to perk up as he looked behind Edelgard. “I’d love to tell you, but it seems like my time here has run out,” he remarked before taking a few steps back and turning around to retreat. 

Edelgard was about to chase after him when she heard a commotion from behind her and the sound of some of her fellow students shouting. She turned around just in time to see Yuri unleash a flurry of strikes at Byleth, causing her to fall backwards before he and Aelfric teleported away with the seemingly subdued Ashen Wolves. Immediately she ran over to the professor, who was standing up as she arrived.

“Professor!” she exclaimed. “Are you alright?” 

Byleth looked at the white haired student before giving herself a quick inspection. “I think I’m fine,” she answered.

“No injuries at all?” Dimitri asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

“None,” replied Byleth. “It’s almost like he was trying not to hit me. I only fell to the ground because I tripped out of surprise.”

“That’s all well and good,” Claude commented, “but we’ve just been betrayed, had three students seemingly kidnapped, and lost a holy relic. What are we going to do?”

As the others began to discuss what could be done Byleth remained silent, her expression pensive. Edelgard stepped closer to her before quietly speaking to her. “Are you sure you’re alright? You look like something is bothering you.”

The blue haired professor startled at Edelgard’s words, clearly having been deep in thought. “I’m just wondering if we’re missing something,” Byleth replied. “Yuri came to talk with me this morning, but what he said seemed out of the blue. He said that if I wanted some privacy, the best place to find it was the Holy Mausoleum just after midnight.”

“That does indeed seem strange,” admitted Edelgard. “Could he have meant something else by it? I know that Hubert uses coded messages to communicate with some of his people.”

“But what would he be trying to send us,” Byleth posed. “Unless he wanted us there?”

“What are you two whispering about over here?” Claude remarked as he and the others turned their attention to the two women.

“The professor and I think that there is more to this than just a simple betrayal,” Edelgard answered. “Yuri told her that the Holy Mausoleum just after midnight is the best place to find privacy.”

“And you would need that to conduct a ritual such as the Rite of Rebirth,” Linhardt added. “Could he be trying to lead us to the ritual?”

“I doubt it would hurt to check it out,” said Ashe. “Yuri cares too much about the other Ashen Wolves to betray them without something forcing him to. I know it.”

Byleth nodded at the grey haired boy’s words. “I think we should see wha-”

Before the professor could finish what she was saying, the archbishop, along with a group of knights, ran up and looked to the professor.

“It seems like we were too late,” Lady Rhea said as she looked over the group.

“What are you doing here?” Edelgard asked.

“After you all left, I began to look into the lineage of the Ashen Wolves,” the woman replied. “While investigating them, I found out that the information about their crests was falsified. And now I can see that what was wild speculation is now true. The Ashen Wolves bear the crests of the Four Apostles. Using their blood, Aelfric could harness the Chalice’s power.”

“Then Aelfric’s aim must surely be to carry out the Rite of Rising,” Dimitri stated, stepping forwards. “But that would surely be at the expense of the students. Lady Rhea, what exactly is the purpose of this ritual?”

“What little we’ve found has said it can bring someone back to life,” added Claude, “but that can’t be true, can it?”

The archbishop thought for a second before she gave a short explanation. “The chalice is a holy artifact, created by the Goddess herself. It serves to restore a physical form that was previously lost.”

“So it can bring people back from the dead,” Claude commented, looking a little surprised by this news.

“Not quite,” Rhea replied. “It can return life to a body, but it cannot bring back a spirit that has moved on from the world. Originally, it was meant to be used to return the Goddess’s physical form, as her spirit is omnipresent. Such incredible power is truly awe inspiring, but also terribly dangerous. That is why the Four Apostles exiled themselves, and it was not intended that they passed down their crests. What should have been impossible has been done, and now the crests have been gathered in the Ashen Wolves.”

“Lady Rhea,” Edelgard began, “do you have any idea where they could have gone?”

Rhea nodded quickly in confirmation before speaking. “The rite can only be performed at Garreg Mach because it is protected by the Goddess. It would have to be somewhere quiet where they could concentrate as well, because it requires extreme focus.”

“We think that they may try to do it at the Holy Mausoleum,” Byleth stated. “Before we came to the chapel Yuri mentioned that if I was looking for privacy, the Holy Mausoleum just after midnight would be the place to find it.”

“Then we shall have to try to catch him there,” the archbishop replied.

Just after Lady Rhea finished her sentence, Alois charged into the ruins. “Lady Rhea!” he exclaimed. “Thieves have breached the village walls! They’re pillaging the shops and residences. They’re numbers are too great for the town guard to handle. We need to deploy the knights!”

“Surely this has to do with Aelfric,” Claude commented.

“Perhaps, but it matters not,” responded the archbishop. “Alois, take the knights and ensure the safety of the villagers immediately. But leave a few of your best knights with me.” Once she gave that order, she turned to Byleth. “I will do what I can to aid you, but until the situation in the village is taken care of, I must leave the situation with the Chalice up to you and your students, Professor.” 

With that, Lady Rhea and Alois departed hastily, leaving the students and Byleth to plan their next move.

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Claude--

As the group stalked into the Holy Mausoleum just after midnight, Claude had to give Professor Eisner some credit. If the gathering of casters and soldiers wasn’t enough of an indication that they were in the right place, Aelfric standing at the far end of the chasm like room. The Ashen Wolves were over there as well, although they seemed to be looking a little worse for wear.

“What’s happening?” Dimitri quietly asked.

“It looks as if their blood is being drained and turned into… raw power?” answered Linhardt, looking a little uneasy. “That’s a lot of blood. This is hard to watch.”

“But who is he trying to bring back?” added Edelgard, bringing attention to the form of a person behind the cardinal.

“We need to get down there and help,” interrupted the professor. “When we get down there Edelgard, Hilda, and I will head down the center with Ashe backing us up. The rest of you should try to stick to the sides and get to the Ashen Wolves as soon as possible. They’ll most likely need healing, so be ready Linhardt.”

The professor looked at the students to make sure they understood the plan before heading down the stairs. Once at the bottom and the others were out of immediate sight, she called out to the cardinal. “Aelfric! Stop this before it’s too late!”

Immediately, all the eyes in the mausoleum were on her. Aelfric took a few steps away from the body he was standing over before he gave his reply. “I had not wanted any harm to fall to you, Professor. She’d have wanted you safe, being her child. You insist on standing in my way, however, and if you come any further I’ll be forced to strike you down.”

As the professor took a step forward, the armored knights fell into line before her, blocking her way. “Professor!” Constance called out, taking advantage of the distraction. “You need to block the vortices. They are repelling the Crests of the Apostles and so we cannot stop them ourselves.”

“We’ll be right there,” the blue haired teacher calmly replied as she drew her weapon. “Focus on the mages, Ashe.”

Once she was done speaking the professor didn’t waste any time, charging at the wall of shields and slamming into one of the knights, sending him sprawling. Hilda and Edelgard were right behind her, cutting down the two soldiers around her.

While the students were fighting the knights and mages, Aelfric raised the Chalice over his head and a wave of power washed over everyone, causing most of them to let out a cry of pain. “So this is how it feels,” the cardinal stated. “The infinite power of the Goddess flowing forth from the Chalice. Without the chalice’s protection I doubt anyone will survive.”

“So his plan is to kill everyone, allies included?” exclaimed Hilda. “Does nobody else think this is madness?”

“It truly is,” Edelgard agreed as a sword slammed into her shield, “but that doesn’t seem to dissuade these soldiers.”

As the group in the center fought their way forwards the rest of the students had managed to sneak along the side of the chamber and had begun to fight the soldiers that were trying to keep Constance and Hapi in place.

Dimitri was leading the charge, running a mage through from behind before they were fully aware of what was happening. “We’ve come to help!” he exclaimed before stepping towards the vortex. As soon as he was within reach of it, the draining energy dissipated, causing Constance to let out a sigh of relief.   
  
“Thank you,” Constance said after unleashing a blast of fire at an armored knight, dropping him quickly. “But we have to do that with all of them or the ritual will continue.”

Claude loosed an arrow, taking out the last of the overwhelmed knights around them. “We’ll get right on that,” he remarked, stepping into the other vortex on this side.

“Fools!” Aelfric yelled as he saw the students mop up his men. “I won’t let you stop this!” He once more brought the Chalice up and another wave of energy poured forth from it, causing the students and soldiers to writhe in agony. Before he could say anything however, screams were heard from behind him, drawing everyone’s attention.

During the freeing of Constance and Hapi, as well as the cardinal’s response, the professor had snaked around the pillars to help Yuri and Balthus, laying waste to the knights they were fighting. Looking around, most of the soldiers and mages were either falling back into defensive positions or laying on the ground.

“It’s over, Aelfric,” the professor said, pointing her blade at the man.

“No!” he yelled. “Not yet… There’s still time… Professor, surely if you knew my goal you would not raise your sword against me. Your mother lies here, waiting for the ritual to complete. Waiting for you! Don’t you want to meet her.”

The professor’s sword drooped at the cardinal’s words. “My mother…” she whispered as she looked at the body laying behind Aelfric.

“Teach, is that true?” asked Claude. “Is that really your mother?”

“My mom died giving birth to me,” Byleth answered, still focused on the woman who was supposedly her mother.

Aelfric took a step forward, offering a hand to Byleth as he spoke. “There is no room for doubt. I know her appearance better than anyone. This is her. A wonderful woman and upstanding nun who married Jeralt and died 21 years ago.”

“You expect us to believe that this pristine body is over two decades old?” Dimitri questioned, his disbelief clear.

“Incredible, is it not?” Aelfric replied. “It’s as though time has not touched her. Perhaps her body is different from others. Whatever the case, it matters not. I discovered her 10 years ago, and since then I’ve worked tirelessly to solve the riddle of her death. Join me, professor. We can return your mother to you.”

As Aelfric presented his offer, the sword in the professor’s hand fell to her side as she kept looking at the body of her mother. “Bring her back?” she asked, turning to face the man. It was evident that the rage on her face was not what he had expected. “Do you truly think that is what she’d want?” the blue haired woman yelled, causing everyone to recoil from her booming voice almost as if her words were physical. “After all I’ve heard of her, taking other’s lives is the last thing she’d want.”

“It’s a shame,” Aelfric replied with a sneer, stepping back to the body, “but not entirely unexpected from the creature who was the cause of her death.”

. 

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out. “Aelfric, stop this nonsense,” Rhea said as she, Alois, and several knights walked up towards the gathering.

“Rhea!” Aelfric exclaimed. “You’re the cause of this. You killed Sitri, when she gave birth to a child who made no sound. What did you do to her? Why does her body remain?”

“I owe you nothing, Aelfric,” replied the archbishop. “But I will tell you this: She chose to die, so that Byleth might live. I respected her will. Nothing more. Please, Aelfric. Just as I viewed her as my child so do I view you. Cease this futility.”

“You expect me to believe you without question?” Aelfric questioned disdainfully. “You see her lying before you, and yet you ‘owe no words’? Rhea, I am done with you. All that is left is to complete the ritual.”

At that Byleth lunged at the man but before she could reach him he warped away, taking Sitri’s body with him and causing Byleth to fall to the ground.

“He can’t have gone far,” the archbishop stated. “We must hurry to find him.”

Byleth stood up and turned towards Lady Rhea before growling “Let’s end this.”

“We’ll have to figure out where he disappeared to,” Edelgard commented.

“What about you four?” asked Dimitri, turning to the Ashen Wolves. “You’re looking a little worse for wear.”

Yuri let out a short laugh before he replied. “It’ll take a lot more than that to take us down. Plus I think we all owe Aelfric for what he’s done.”

The other Ashen Wolves all said the same before Balthus stepped up to Yuri. “While it looks like we’re all up for it, there’s one thing I have to do,” he said. “Show me that pretty face of yours, boss.”

“What-” was all Yuri could utter before Balthus’s fist slammed into his face, knocking him to the ground.

“That’s for not telling us what was going on,” the brawler explained.

Yuri got up, rubbing his face where it was met by Balthus’s punch, as he apologized. “I’m sorry I had to use you all. But there wasn’t much of a choice. If I had told you, then someone almost would have certainly died. One of you, or one of the people from Abyss, or one of the people Aelfric had hostage.”

“You say that as if you didn’t trust us enough, Yuri!” Constance exclaimed, clearly angry.

“It would have been nice if you asked us first,” added Hapi.

“We get it,” Balthus said, placing his hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “Your people were being held hostage. But I thought we were pals. Buddies til the end.”

Yuri looked at the three for a second before he replied. “I… I need all of you. I’ve been a fool. Thank you for always being here for me. Even now.”

Immediately Balthus pulled Yuri in for a hug, crushing him against his chest. “Alright!” he exclaimed. “I think this fool gets the picture. Time to find that other fool and teach him a lesson!”

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As the group began to search for the errant cardinal, Edelgard kept looking over at Byleth. Her outburst at Aelfric had been shocking, if understandable. In all the months she had known the woman, Edelgard had never seen her so furious. Even as they went over the possible locations he could have gone to finish the ritual the professor remained fuming. Now, as they headed towards the cathedral, the only place they had found where the ritual could be finished, the seething anger coming from Byleth was beginning to worry her.

“Let me try to talk to him when we go in,” Rhea said to the group as they reached the cathedral doors. “Perhaps we can still resolve this peacefully.”

With that she entered the cathedral, followed by Byleth and the students. Immediately they saw the deranged man.

“Aelfric,” Rhea called out, “please cease this at once.”

“It’s too late,” the man said, spinning around to face the group. “The chalice is filled to its brim with the blood of the four. Should their blood prove insufficient, I will spill even my own blood to finish this.”

The archbishop took a step forward, palms open to show a lack of weapons. “The chalice cannot return her soul, Aelfric,” she explained. “It is incapable of ever returning the body to life.”

“Stop this, Aelfric,” Byleth added through gritted teeth.

“Do not worry, professor,” Aelfric replied. “Today your mother returns to us.” With that he turned back to Sitri’s lifeless body. “Perhaps I am not an equal man to him,” the cardinal uttered. “But I am here by your side.”

With that an eerie red glow emanated from the him, blinding everyone before a loud roar tore through the chamber. Where once Aelfric stood over Sitri’s body now there was a singular monstrous beast, easily as large as the professor’s other form. It’s flesh looked almost like strands of sinew layered on top of each other and it had a strange boney face, almost like two skulls bound together just above their eye sockets.

“The chalice has transformed them,” Edelgard remarked, readying her weapon.

Byleth, Linhardt, and the archbishop all did the same but the others seemed to hesitate.

“What is that aberration?” Dimitri exclaimed, startled by the sudden beast before him.

Before anyone could give an answer, the abomination let out a deep bellow, calling out a name. 

“SIITTTTTRRRRRIIIIIIIII” 

As the beast quieted Lady Rhea uttered something that was almost lost in the fading noise. “So… it is just as it was the last time the ritual was performed.” Before Edelgard could really question that however a knight burst through the door.

“Lady Rhea!” she shouted. “Monsters have appeared all around the cathedral!”

As she turned to the knight the archbishop gave her reply. “That roar must have drawn them here. Everyone who is capable must fight this beast. Gather the Knights immediately!”

“Archbishop Rhea,” interjected Yuri. “Things ended up this way because of me. Let me make up for it. Let me fight for the church. It’ll give me a chance to hold up my end of our deal.”

While Yuri said this the other Ashen Wolves stepped up behind him. “So very like you to steal the glory in the heat of the moment,” Constance chimed. “Aelfric may have used us and lied to us, but he also provided for us when we had nothing. We must end things swiftly for his sake.”

“It’s pretty awful that after spending all those years trying to bring that woman back, he ends up losing himself,” Hapi added.

Balthus nodded at the other’s remarks before contributing his own opinion. “We’ll do one last favor to him and take him out quickly.”

“We’ll help too!” Claude called out as he aimed at the beast.

Dimitri readied his spear before saying the same. “You can rely on us until the end.”

Edelgard nodded her affirmation as well, not taking her eyes off the creature, and by how Byleth was glaring at what used to be Aelfric she obviously wasn’t going to leave until it was dead.

The archbishop looked over those around her before nodding. “Very well. By my order, stop Aelfric.” With that she followed the knight out to join the defense of the monastery while the others readied themselves to fight the monster.

“So,” Dimitri began as the Ashen Wolves readied themselves, “does anyone have any idea of how to fight this thing?”

Edelgard was the one who answered him. “Be prepared for anything. We fought something like this on our last mission and it was capable of launching volleys of boney spikes. Other than that-” 

Before she could finish her explanation Byleth bolted to the left, circling the beast as she called out. “Stay behind shields or cover unless you’re attacking and spread out.” As she finished speaking she darted towards the beast, hacking at its leg and causing it to let out a roar.

With that roar, a translucent blur appeared, quickly taking the form of the cardinal.

“What the hell is that?!” Balthus exclaimed.

Linhardt was the one to answer that question. “It seems to be some kind of illusion… in the form of Aelfric.”

“If it’s just an illusion then focus on the beast!” Edelgard ordered as she slammed her axe into the monster’s side, drawing it’s ire. Heeding that instruction, the rest of the group began their assault on the beast, surrounding it as they attacked.

This bombardment caused the creature to respond, and Hilda was the first to be targeted. The creature slammed one of it’s clawed feet into her shield, forcing her back.

While this was happening Edelgard was making her way towards Byleth, who’s rage seemed to be fueling her aggressive strikes. As she drew closer she called out, getting the woman’s attention. “Professor, are you sure that wildly attacking is a good idea?”

“The faster we get this done the faster I can talk to Rhea,” she replied through gritted teeth, slicing her blade into the flank of the monster.

Immediately after that it let out a pained roar and the illusion of Aelfric began to glow. As the glow almost got too bright to look at it was suddenly gone and a stream of red energy flowed to the beast’s wounds, causing them to close.

“It can heal?” Edelgard exclaimed. “If you see an illusion th-”

Before the princess could finish her sentence there was a surge of magic and suddenly she was no longer next to Byleth, nor was she at the rear of the beast. Looking around she was now on the east side of the chamber. As she began her rush back into battle Edelgard heard the others speak up.

“What was that?!” Balthus yelled.

“Some kind of spatial distortion magic,” Constance answered, not missing a beat. “I have no idea how to defend against it, however”

“Just don’t get caught alone!” Yuri called out before he threw himself behind a pillar, dodging a swipe from the enraged monster. “We don’t need anyone getting taken out because of bad luck.”

“It uses the illusions to heal,” Edelgard added as she got up to the beast. “If you see one, take it out by whatever means!”

As Edelgard shouted out this information another illusion began to form, only to be scattered by a blast of lightning from Constance, instantly drawing the beast’s attention. While it turned to face the mage, a clawed limb rushing towards her, Edelgard saw a blue haired figure dashing towards the noble out of the corner of her eye. Before she could confirm who it was the blow landed, with the figure getting there just before the sound of stone cracking filled the room.

As the monster made to pull back it’s claws however a set of scaled hands reached around the paw, digging into its flesh.

“Attack it!” Byleth shouted from behind the foot, her rough voice another clue letting Edelgard know that she had partially transformed. “While it’s distracted, take it down!”

Knowing that Byleth was alright enough to have some sort of plan took a weight from Edelgard’s shoulders, but she knew that didn’t mean that they were safe yet. Thankfully the others seemed to understand this as well and continued their attack.

“We must end this!” Dimitri called out as he lunged towards the beast, driving his lance into its flank. 

Yuri immediately followed up by bolting under the beast and thrusting his sword into the belly of the creature and dragging it along.

A veritable barrage of attacks followed, which the monster was unable to completely defend against with one limb occupied by the professor. It didn’t take long for the group of students to bring the beast down, and with a thundering noise it collapsed. Almost as soon it landed the monster's form began to slither and shrink, quickly revealing the forms of Sitri and Aelfric, the latter holding the Chalice.

“Is it over?” Hapi asked, the first to break the silence after the fight.

Claude walked over to the cardinal’s body, poking the chalice with his bow as he spoke. “It looks like it.”

“Then there’s something I would like to address,” Constance remarked as she turned to where Byleth had been only to find it empty. “Professor?” the mage called out as she looked around, seeing the professor kneeling next to her mother’s body.

“Tend to your wounds and then deliver the Chalice to the archbishop,” the blue haired woman ordered with no force in her coarse voice. Even from where she was standing Edelgard could tell that Byleth was still not fully back to normal, the scales on her hands evident as she hesitantly laid them on her mother’s head.

Constance looked like she was about to continue her line of thought when Edelgard spoke. “Linhardt, Hapi, and Yuri, heal each other’s wounds, then check over everyone else. I’m not injured, but I don’t know about the others. Once anything is serious is taken care off we’ll head out to find the archbishop.” As Edelgard ushered the others away she looked over her shoulder at Byleth, hoping that she would find some solace by her mother’s side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that almost wraps up the Cindered Shadows bit of the story. I swear that soon we'll have some happy bits. Though first we have a bit more drama to get through. And Flayn to find. But I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and as always let me know what you think, whether it's good, bad, or just a comment about a mistake I made.


	33. As the Dust Begins to Settle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of Aelfric's attempt to resurrect her mother, Byleth takes some time to process her feelings as well as discussing recent events with Edelgard. Meanwhile Lady Rhea makes a decision regarding those same events and plans to inform those involved.

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As the others left to deliver the Chalice to the archbishop, Byleth found herself wondering why. Why she was forced to choose between doing the right thing and getting to meet her mother. Why she was the reason her mother died. Why she had to keep secrets from so many people about what she was.

“Why”

“Because life isn’t fair,” Sothis answered, wrapping her arms around Byleth despite the faintness of the sensation. “But you’ve shown that you aren’t what people say you are. I know you better than anyone and I can see that even though you have been through so much strife you have worked so hard to make things better.”

“Then why do I have nothing to show for it?” whispered Byleth as her grasp tightened around her coat. “If I work so hard, why do I get no reward.”

“Acts of good are rarely rewarded,” Edelgard answered, surprising the blue haired woman. “And it may not be a reward but I think that you have improved the lives of your students. I know that you have been a blessing to mine. You’ve shown me kindness and care, and you have taught me that I can let people in. That I don’t have to be alone. And neither do you.” With this she knelt down beside Byleth, placing her hand over Byleth’s clenched fist. “But right now some knights are here to take care of these bodies. So do you feel up for walking with me as they bring your mother to the infirmary?”

Byleth looked over towards the entrance to the cathedral and saw some knights standing there, seemingly trying to pay as little attention to her as possible. “I guess I don’t have a choice,” she answered reluctantly.

“You do!” corrected Edelgard as she squeezed Byleth’s hand. “If you wish to sit here until the sun rises, then we can do that. I won’t let them do anything until you’re ready.”

There was a silence between them for a short while until Byleth spoke up. “My father used to tell me all kinds of stories about her. About how they met, and what she liked. He would always try to bring her flowers from wherever he went, as a way to bring a bit of the world outside the monastery to her.” As she talked tears began to run down her face. “I thought that, with all the things I’ve been told about her, I got to know her, even if it was only a little bit. But now I feel like I don’t. And I never will.”

“I’m sure that if she were here,” Edelgard said as she brought a hand up to Byleth’s face and began to wipe away the tears, “that she would be so proud of you for doing the right thing, even though it hurt. And that she would want to know you just as much as you know her. But I don’t think that she would want you to sit here and sadly mourn her. From what you’ve said of her, I think that she would want you to keep moving forwards.”

“I agree with her,” Sothis added from the other side of Byleth. “I don’t think she would want you to grieve over her like this. She would want you to be happy.”

A sniffle escaped from Byleth as she stood up. “You’re right. It’s not doing any good to sit here crying.” While Edelgard stood up the professor waved over to the knights who hurried over, two stretchers and some sheets in their hands. Immediately they loaded the bodies and covered them before walking towards the door. Edelgard was about to follow when she felt a tug on her hand. Turning around she saw Byleth, having not moved towards the door. “I don’t think I want to be there for whatever they’re going to do. I’ll just have to talk to Lady Rhea tomorrow. For now I just want to be with you."

Edelgard blushed at those words before smiling in reply. “Do you have anything particular in mind, or do you just wish to spend time together?”

“I just… want to be with you,” Byleth replied with a squeeze of Edelgard’s hand.

At that Edelgard returned the gesture. “Then why don’t we go to the pond? We can sit by the greenhouse for a while.”

Byleth answered with a nod and immediately the two headed out of the cathedral. As they arrived at the pond Byleth took off her boots and dipped her feet into the water while Edelgard sat next to her. “Thank you,” Byleth whispered, just loud enough for Edelgard to hear. “For doing this. And everything else you do for me.”

The princess looked around before she gently rested her hand on Byleth’s thigh. “You do as much, if not more, for me. I also enjoy the time we get together, however rare it may be.” With that said Edelgard leaned over to rest against the blue haired woman, her periwinkle eyes locking with cornflower ones.

As Byleth blushed at this contact she looked around, checking that nobody was looking. Once she was sure the coast was clear she turned back to Edelgard, closing the distance between their faces and placing a quick kiss on her soft lips. As she drew back she was shocked when Edelgard’s arm wrapped around her neck, pulling them back together and deepening the kiss. After the initial surprise Byleth was about to respond in kind when the sound of footsteps forced the two apart.

Byleth’s eyes scoured the surroundings and saw a pair of knights pass by the dining hall, seemingly patrolling disinterestedly. “That was too close for comfort,” Byleth whispered. “We aren’t really as private as we hoped we would be here.”

“I agree,” Edelgard replied with a nod. “Once we have some free time we will have to find somewhere truly private. Perhaps in town?”

Byleth turned back to Edelgard as the sound of footsteps faded. “That will have to wait until Flayn is found.”

“Professor!” Edelgard exclaimed, immediately making Byleth fear that they would be discovered. “Sorry. You just reminded me of something. That knight that we encountered in the arena. He is under my command. However, those who slither required that I lend them his service. Which would imply that they are involved in something here at Garreg Mach.”

“Could they be behind the kidnappings?” asked Byleth, her voice hushed for a new reason.

“It’s very likely,” Edelgard confirmed. “If so, I may be able to use the guise of the Flame Emperor to help resolve the situation with fewer deaths. That knight will obey if I order him to flee.” The princess seemed to hesitate for a second, trying to decide what to do next, before continuing. “The knight is Jeritza, but he is not a bad person. He is merely a victim of the system we live in. If possible, please do not kill him.”

Byleth reached over and took hold of Edelgard’s hand, gently squeezing it. “I’ll do my best. This also gives us a lead for the search.”

“Just be careful,” the princess replied. “While Jeritza is the knight, at the same time he is not. He has been through terrible things that… fractured him. And the knight is a result of that fracturing. He will not show you mercy.”

“So the plan is to look into Jeritza and then hopefully follow him to Flayn,” Byleth elaborated. “Then you’ll arrive as the Flame Emperor and order him to retreat?”

“Basically,” Edelgard agreed. “Although the fine details are up to you. I doubt I’ll be able to help you in the search if I am to show up as my alter ego.”

It was then that Sothis returned to Byleth’s awareness. “Not to rain on your parade, but how is Edelgard to know when to arrive if she isn’t with us?”

Byleth looked at Sothis, earning a confused glance from Edelgard, before repeating that question. “Sothis brought up a good point. How will you know when or where to show up?”

“The disguise was made by those who slither, and has several enchantments,” Edelgard explained. “One such enchantment allows me a limited teleportation. As for when to show up, I will have to secretly follow you all. Once you have begun the rescue I’ll get into costume and play my part.”

“We should be cautious about using anything given by  _ them _ ,” Sothis remarked. “If they can create magical items, who knows what else they can make them do.”

Byleth turned to the green haired goddess at those words. “I didn’t even think of that. Are you sure we share the same head?”

That question earned the professor an eye roll. “Sometimes, I wonder that too. It does feel like you only hear a fraction of what I say to you most of the time.”

“I mean, I would listen more if it wasn’t just shouting at me,” retorted Byleth.

“Um…” interjected Edelgard. “I apologize if I’m interrupting, but perhaps there is some way of including both myself and Sothis in the conversation?”

Both Byleth and Sothis snapped their attention to the princess, and while she didn’t hear Sothis’s response, she got Byleth’s. “Oh, sorry. Sothis was saying that if they could put magic in an item, how do we know that’s all those who slither made those items do. And then she got angry.”

At that explanation Edelgard let out a quiet laugh. “I still find myself surprised by the fact that you have an entire other person living within you. And that the person is the goddess. Really, many things about you continue to surprise me.”

“Hopefully it’s the good kind of surprise,” Byleth said with a smile.

Edelgard leaned against Byleth again with a smile of her own. “It is,” she replied before she let out a sigh. “We’ve had a busy night. We put down a monster and saved the Ashen Wolves. You told me about your mother. We kissed and were almost discovered. And then we planned how to hopefully rescue Flayn. It feels like we’ll never get any time to be with each other.”

“I think we’ll be busy for quite a while,” Byleth remarked while she shifted to rest against the princess. “That just means we need to take what time we do get and cherish it.”

“That is the burden of trying to change the world,” answered Edelgard. “Although I agree that we should take as much time as we can steal together.”

As the two sat against each other, Sothis spoke up. “Sorry to ruin your moment again, but she still hasn’t answered about the items.”

With an exhausted sigh Byleth repeated the goddess’s statement, acquiring Edelgard’s answer. “Hubert looked everything over and gave it a reluctant all clear, and I trust him completely. Even if he can be a bit overbearing sometimes.”

“More like always,” Sothis pouted.

“Be nice, Sothis,” Byleth chided before explaining what happened to Edelgard. “She was grumbling about Hubert.”

Edelgard simply hummed in acknowledgement while Sothis floated, still looking not entirely satisfied. They sat like this for a while longer before finally getting up to go to their separate rooms. Before Byleth could begin to walk away Edelgard quickly placed a gentle peck on her cheek. “Good night, Byleth,” she whispered, leaving the blue haired woman covering the kiss with her hand.

Once Edelgard was in the dorms Byleth began to move towards her own. Despite everything that had happened tonight she was beginning to feel the exhaustion settle in. As soon as she was in her room she quickly got ready for bed, having a quick discussion with Sothis during the routine. “I’ll try to take your advice more seriously. It isn’t fair that I make you feel ignored.”

While still pouting, those words caused Sothis to loosen her pose. “Yeah, well you haven’t had the easiest time of things recently. Especially this past week. I may have been a bit too short tempered as well.”

“I’m still going to try to be better about listening to you,” Byleth replied. “Although right now I’m only going to try to sleep until dinner.” With that she climbed into her bed and almost immediately she fell asleep.

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Rhea--

Even with the Ashen Wolves, Professor Eisner, and the other students taking care of Aelfric’s failed attempt at the rite of rising, there was still so much to do. The Knights were dispatched to deal with the monsters that attacked Garreg Mach, which meant injuries that had to be healed and logistics that had to be handled. Then there was the fact that a cardinal had betrayed the Church, which had to be kept secret. After the betrayal of the Western Church, any more perceived splintering could encourage further dissidents to act. Finally, there was the Chalice. One of Rhea’s earliest attempts to restore her mother and one of the worst failures. It would have to be hidden somewhere once more. This time she would have to make sure it was not found again. 

Now, however, she had to deal with those at the center of recent events. To that end she had called for them to meet with her in the audience chamber after breakfast.Hopefully they had gotten some rest since she last saw them, although any amount would be more than her. Before she knew it a monk was in the doorway to her office.

“Lady Rhea. The students and professor have all arrived.”

“Ah, thank you,” Rhea replied as she put down her quill. “I’ll be right out. Can you and the other attendants please give us some privacy? Delicate matters are to be discussed.”

The monk simply nodded before leaving the doorway. Outside the office the sound of people moving around could be heard. The archbishop quickly put away what she had been working on before heading out to meet the audience. Immediately she saw the students and the professor, seeing their tired expressions.

“I hope you all got at least a little rest, although from your appearance it seems to have not been enough.” Murmurs from the group confirmed the archbishop’s claim. “Then I shall keep this short. Firstly, thank you all for your service to the Church. Without your actions the situation could have turned out far worse than it did. You have my gratitude.”

The group seemed to accept this thanks with little issue, allowing Rhea to move onto her next point. “With that said, I do have some changes regarding Abyss that I feel you have earned to be privy to. Before I inform you of them, I would like to make an assurance. Abyss will still remain for those who are less fortunate, and I shall do my best to ensure they get whatever support they need. However, from this moment forward the Ashen Wolf house is disbanded.” Immediately a cacophony of disagreements and protests erupted from the Ashen Wolves.

“Surely this must be some kind of joke,” Constance exclaimed through the voices.

“If it is, it isn’t funny,” Hapi added.

As the other voiced their thoughts Rhea simply held up a hand and waited for them to quiet down. Once everyone was silent she continued. “The Ashen Wolf house was originally meant to be a place for youths who were in need of the Church’s protection. Some time between then and now, however, that intent was corrupted and Aelfric turned it into a cage for you. If I were to let it continue I fear it would do more harm than good. You can consider this a graduation of sorts, but my decision is final.”

“So after being gathered up and driven to Abyss, you’re just telling us to live our lives as if nothing happened?” Hapi asked disgruntledly.

The archbishop turned to focus on the dark skinned student at that question. “You are free to continue living in Abyss if that is what you wish. As I said, it shall remain for those who need it. However, you are also free to live as you wish now.”

“You’re just going to let me go?” Yuri said with disbelief. “While I was working with the church, I did some pretty unsavory things.”

Rhea took a step towards the former house leader and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You have already been judged for your transgressions. The weight of your actions is your to bear. That is punishment enough.”

At that Balthus stepped up to Yuri and placed his hand on the trickster’s other shoulder. “What’s the whole ‘woe is me’ act? She’s saying you’re a free man!”

“That’s true enough,” Yuri admitted. I suppose it’s up to me to determine how I’ll live my life. How to make up for my misdeeds.”

“I’m glad that you are all taking this news smoother than I expected,” Rhea remarked, her hand falling back to her side from Yuri’s shoulder. “There is one more thing that I must ask of you all, however. My request is that you do not tell anyone of what Aelfric attempted to do. Were it to get out that a cardinal went against the Church even more groups of dissidents may decide to take action against us. After the actions of the Western Church, we must show a united image.”

As Rhea stated her request, she saw the professor tense up and made a mental note to discuss that matter with her later. “With that, all of you are free to go. I assume that all of you want to get some rest.”

Slowly the group made their way out of the chamber, but as Rhea turned and headed to her office she heard the sound of the door close. Looking at the source of the sound, she saw the professor standing at the closed doors. As the blue haired woman spun to face the archbishop, there was a glint in her eyes that filled Rhea with an odd sense of familiarity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is actually a momentous chapter. This marks the point where things officially go off the rails of the cannon story! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think of it in the comments!Or you can write any questions or anything else you have about the story there.


	34. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Byleth talks with the archbishop about her mother the anger that had been threatening to boil over within her and Sothis finally does so, and in that moment things are done that cannot be turned back. Afterwards Edelgard does what she can to help calm Byleth and ends up having a long expected conversation with Jeralt. However, you never know who might be watching...

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As she closed the doors to the audience chamber, Byleth could feel anger. Not just her own, but also from the green haired goddess within her.

“I know we both want answers,” Sothis gritted, “but we can’t lose our cool. She won’t give us the answers if we’re too forceful, plus we know how dangerous she is.”

Byleth tried to heed Sothis’s words, taking a deep breath before she turned towards the archbishop. Once she did the woman spoke.

“I presume that you wish to learn about your mother. I suppose that you deserve that explanation.”

While Byleth held her tongue Sothis said what she was thinking. “Deserve? As if you have been useful enough to earn the knowledge of what your mother went through.”

Unaware of the goddess’s chagrin, Rhea continued. “When you were born you were barely alive, with no breath in your lungs and no heartbeat in your chest. Sitri, on death’s door as well, saw the state that you were in and begged me to give you her heart in the hopes that with it you might live. That is why you bear that scar on your chest. Because within your chest resides her heart.”

“Why?” Byleth asked, her teeth clenched together. “Why keep that from my father and I?”

Rhea stood up a little straighter at that. “I admit that I have no reason aside from the fear of how people, mainly your father, would react to the fact that I exchanged your mother’s life for yours.” 

Byleth felt her anger swell at that flat excuse, but remembering Sothis words she decided to change the subject. “Then what will happen with my mother’s body now?”

“I plan to have her returned to her tomb beneath the monastery,” explained the archbishop. “I will increase security so that no one else will accidentally discover her. Hopefully that will prevent a situation like the one that arose with Aelfric.”

“It’s like she thinks only of herself,” Sothis remarked, her voice filled with disgust and disbelief.

At that Byleth snapped. “Do you care about others?” she cried out. “When I learned that I had been speaking to an empty grave, that my father had been speaking to an empty grave, do you know how much that hurt? And now, after I’ve had to watch a man desecrate my mother’s corpse, you want to deny me the right to visit her again?”

“I apologize if I came off as uncaring,” Rhea said as she took a step back from the professor. “It was not my-” Before she could finish her next sentence, Byleth continued.

“Even beyond that, you act like a tyrant! You hide information from people so that you look like you are always in the right, but really you’re just doing it so that people don’t see the despicable things you make the knights do!” As Byleth let her fury flow out of her she felt Sothis’s loathing explode out as well. “You hide the truth about the relics! You send children to fight against those who speak out against you! Ever since I’ve come here it has always been something affecting you that made you act. With Flayn’s kidnapping, there were reports of missing people and a masked figure in the town. But you did nothing until it was someone you cared about who was taken!”

While she spoke, neither Byleth nor Sothis noticed what was happening around the professor, both too consumed by their anger. In addition to the beginnings of her transformation, an indescribable heat was pour off of Byleth, causing the air around her to shimmer and swirl.

“Byleth,” the archbishop said, trying to call out to the enraged woman, only to earn a cutting reaction.

“NO!” Byleth roared. “You don’t get to act like you care about me! I had hoped that my fears were baseless, but every time you get a chance to prove me wrong, you instead show just how monstrous you can be!”

As her wrath continued to pour out, both as words and as a fiery power, Byleth slowly stepped towards Rhea. “You treat so many people like tools to be used and discarded!” she exclaimed as tears began to flow from her now slitted eyes. “How many people have you hurt because it was convenient? How many have been maimed? Or killed?” 

With each step, the power lashing forth from Byleth began to affect the chamber. The tiles beneath her feet began to split and snap and tapestries began to thrash and flail, tears forming where they were held in place.

“Do you have any remorse?” Byleth questioned. “Or do you simply think that all of this was righteous? Done in the name of a goddess who hasn’t spoken in centuries?” Before Rhea could answer, the enraged professor turned around. Immediately she strode to the doors, throwing them open with a deafening crack as they slammed into the walls. 

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

After Byleth closed the doors to the audience chamber, the students collectively began to head towards the stairs. Edelgard had thought about waiting for the professor but she knew that what she and the archbishop were going to discuss was most likely related to her mother. There would be no point for her to stay when she didn’t know how long they would be talking. As she turned her attention back to what the students were discussing, Dimitri was the one speaking.

“-it strange as well. It looked almost as if armor was on her hands.”

Immediately Edelgard knew what they were discussing and so she began to wrack her brain for any way to put them off the trail.

“It was not armor,” Constance corrected, “but scales. I have never seen anything like it in all of my time studying magic.”

Balthus was the next to add something. “Plus there’s the fact that she stopped the beast’s swipe dead. I knew she was strong from when we fought but that’s on a whole other level.”

“It’s almost like she isn’t human,” Claude remarked, shooting a quick glance back to Edelgard. “What do you think, princess? She’s your house leader. Do you have any insight?”

Edelgard acted like she was thinking for a second before giving her reply, when in reality she was trying to figure out what lie she could get away with. “Her Crest is one that was given by the goddess directly and was supposedly lost to time, so perhaps it is just that. The feats she displayed over these past few days were the most impressive ones I’ve seen.”

Yuri looked like he was about to speak as they made it outside, but before he could Edelgard felt an almost overwhelming pressure within her, the suddenness of it causing her to stagger into the wall. Looking at the others, it seemed that most of them had felt this as well to a lesser extent, with the only one not affected appearing to be Ashe.

“What is that?” Yuri gasped, looking around for a potential source of the phenomena.

Hapi leaned on Balthus for support before giving a reply. “I don’t know, but it almost feels like the opposite of what Aelfric did to us.”

When Edelgard began to survey the surrounding area she saw that even those that had nothing to do with what the cardinal had done were being affected.

“It must be our crests,” Linhardt commented. “Whatever is doing this is affecting our crests in some way, or at least it’s affecting us is because of them.”

Immediately Edelgard’s mind went to Byleth. She must be affected as well. Shakily standing up from the wall the white haired woman moved to the stairs while the others continued to talk, not caring if they noticed her leaving or not. Even as she slowly adjusted to this strange crushing presence the stairs proved to be a challenge. Even with the added difficulty she made it up to the second floor and out of the stairwell just in time to see the door to the archbishop’s audience chamber fly open with Byleth walking out.

If there had been any doubt in Edelgard’s mind that Byleth was bound to the Goddess it was immediately purged. As the blue haired woman came into view not only did the pressure within Edelgard increase immensely, but the sight of her stunned the princess as well. It was as if the very air that surrounded her was electrified and whipping around. Not only that, but she also bore scales coating her hands and up into her sleeves, as well as coming out from the collar of her shirt.

“Byleth,” Edelgard called out, her voice weak from the strain but still managing to get the woman’s attention.

As soon as Byleth turned towards Edelgard the pain and anguish on her face was evident, causing her to instinctively offer up a hand to the professor. With that Byleth’s expression changed to one of worry as she rushed over to Edelgard.

“What’s wrong?” the blue haired woman asked. When her focus shifted to the stumbling princess however, the pressure lessened and the wild disruptions of the air halted.

“Office,” Edelgard sputtered out, hoping that Byleth would get what she meant. Thankfully she did, picking her up and effortlessly carrying her to Jeralt’s office.

After closing the door behind her Byleth set Edelgard down on the couch, kneeling in front of her while she recovered. “What happened? Is something going on outside?”

Those questions confirmed Edelgard’s suspicions that the blue haired woman had no clue what was happening to her, too distracted by something to notice the changes that had occurred. Instead of saying anything the white haired woman simply took Byleth’s scaled hands in her own, rubbing her thumbs over the smooth pearlescent plates. “I feel like I should be asking you that. I was worried that you might be affected by whatever was afflicting the monastery, but instead I came up here and found you causing that pressure.”

It was now that Byleth noticed the changes to her hands. “Oh. Oh no. I must have changed in front of Rhea!”

Before Byleth could descend fully into panic, Edelgard squeezed her hands tightly, trying to ground her. “Hey, let’s ignore that for a second. Focus on me right now. Take a deep breath.”

As she did this Byleth’s eyes began to change back from their slitted appearance. “Good. Now, why don’t you walk me through what happened after we left?”

Byleth took a few more deep breaths, calming herself further, before she began. “I asked her about my mother and why she didn’t tell my father or I about what she did. And all she could say was that she kept it from us because she feared how my father would react. Then I asked her what would happen to my mother now and she told me that she plans to place her back under Abyss. Then I just… couldn’t contain my anger anymore. At how she would silence people because it was convenient. Or how she used people. Used children. Every time I tried to see if what you said was true, she proved you right. Proved that all of her actions are driven by a desire to maintain her power.”

By the time that the professor finished recounting what had happened, tears were flowing freely once more. Edelgard didn’t say anything, instead gently guiding Byleth onto the couch alongside her and laying her down, the woman’s head in her lap. As she ran her fingers through Byleth’s hair, Edelgard finally spoke, her tone quiet and soft. “Just rest for now. We’ll figure something out once you’ve slept.” Byleth almost looked like she was going to argue before accepting the suggestion and within minutes she was sound asleep. 

The two sat there for an unknown amount of time before Jeralt walked into his office, getting to his desk before realizing that he was not alone. As soon as he saw the two of them he looked to Edelgard with a raised eyebrow. “Something big must have happened if you two are here after two days of being unfindable.” The knight set down something on his desk before heading over to the pair, sitting on the table and running the back of his hand over Byleth’s cheek. “I’m sure I’ll get the whole story from By later, so why don’t we talk for a bit.”

Edelgard found her mouth suddenly dry at that prospect, but looking down at Byleth resting on her she knew that she couldn’t escape so reluctantly she nodded. 

Jeralt saw that and continued, his voice quiet so as to not wake his daughter. “You know, for a long time I worried that By would end up alone. And I think that she had that same worry, even if she wouldn’t tell me. I’ve seen so many people treat her like she isn’t just a girl… I’ve tried to get rid of those people, to keep her safe, but at the same time to not smother her. Let her live her own life.” As he said this Jeralt stopped stroking Byleth’s cheek and instead focused on Edelgard. “I don’t know if I’ve been a good parent. I hope I have, but I don’t think that’s something I can know. I’ve just tried to make sure that I’m there to pick up the pieces when things go south. But you… The way she talks about you, and looks at you, and seeing how far you’re willing to go to be there for her… It makes me think that even when I’m gone she won’t be alone. And I can’t express how glad I am for that.”

Whatever Edelgard had been expecting when she had nodded, it wasn’t what was happening now. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but words eluded her. Instead she simply looked down at Byleth’s sleeping form as she continued combing out the blue locks. As she did this her heart swelled with warmth and the words began to flow. “I can’t promise that we won’t have our own issues, nor can I promise that the path ahead of us will be peaceful. But I can promise that I will do everything in my power to walk it with her. This may seem like a childish thing to say, but I love her. She’s opened my eyes to so much joy…”

Jeralt let out a chuff, and immediately Edelgard looked up at him, expecting to have to defend her feelings. Instead, however, he looked amused. “It’s not childish. You look at her the same way that I looked at her mother. Like she’s a beacon of light that guides you home.” Jeralt paused for a moment, a sadness growing around his eyes. “When I lost Sitri, I feared that I had lost that light. Byleth wasn’t at all like I expected. For a long time she didn’t cry, or laugh, or really react at all. I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to be a parent. But when I first heard her laugh, it was like a new light exploding into my life. So I understand what you mean by her opening your eyes.”

With that said, Jeralt stood up. “I’ll let you two have some alone time. I doubt you get much of that here.” Before Edelgard could say anything the knight stood up and was heading towards the door, leaving the princess to continue running her fingers through Byleth’s hair.

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Ashe--

While he wasn’t the one to notice that Edelgard had left the group, he decided to go and search for her. She had looked just as affected by whatever was happening as the others, so it wasn’t a good idea to go wandering. The archer wasn’t prepared for what he was going to see however. After checking the corridor he went up the stairs, reaching the top just in time to see Professor Eisner pick up Edelgard.

While that wasn’t so surprising considering the state he last saw Edelgard in, her appearance was frightening. Her skin was covered in white scales which tipped her fingers in sharp claws and her eyes were like a snake’s, with slits so tight that it almost looked like she didn’t have pupils. Ashe’s mind immediately conjured stories of demons to the forefront on his thoughts, freezing him in place. By the time he had managed to make himself move again both of them were gone and, fearing the professor’s angry return, he headed back to the group.

Claude was the first one to spot him as he exited the reception hall, with the group having moved out of the doorway. “Ashe, were you able to- what’s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost.”

Ashe looked at the others, all of whom were now staring at him, before shakily giving them an answer. “T-the professor is a demon.”

“That’s just a nickname,” Hilda replied.

“No, she’s actually a demon!” Ashe exclaimed. “Her eyes had slits and she had scales all over her! I swear!”

The others all began to voice their disbelief, and in doing so drawing the attention of others, when Linhardt cleared his throat to get their attention. “I suppose that this task falls to me, unfortunately. Let’s go talk somewhere a bit more private.” As the normally listless healer turned and headed towards the Black Eagles classroom the students looked amongst each other before following him, wondering what answers were in store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that escalated quickly. I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Next time we get to see the effects of what went on, as well as finally begin Flayn's rescue. Hopefully she hasn't been waiting too long. As always, feel free to let me know what you think of this chapter, whether it is compliments, criticism, or just questioning my sanity.


	35. Reactions and Concequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linhardt does what he can to put an end to potential rumors and Seteth confronts Rhea about recent events. Byleth and Edelgard finally begin their plan to rescue Flayn, but things don't always go according to plan.

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Linhardt--

Leading the group of various students inside the Black Eagles classroom, Linhardt found Dorothea and Petra sitting next to each other, looking at the door as it was pushed open. As the singer realized who was leading the group she stood up. “Linhardt! Where have you been? You just vanished along with Edie and the professor, and then the next day a monk came in and told us that the three of you were doing something for the Church but wouldn’t answer any questions. We were all so worried!”

“I’m sure that the professor will explain everything,” Linhardt replied dryly. “There are bigger issues however.” Once the group was in the classroom Linhardt closed the door before moving to the front of the classroom. “Now, I’m sure you all have questions, but let’s start with what you know. Ashe, if you will.”

The gray haired boy looked at Petra and Dorothea before turning back to Linhardt. “Um, well, Professor Eisner looked like she was coming out of the archbishop’s audience chamber, but she didn’t look human. Like I said, her eyes were like a snake’s, and there were scales on her arms and neck.”

“LINHARDT!” Dorothea interjected, stepping over to the healer and dragging him by the collar to the corner of the room. “Why does Ashe know about the professor?” the songstress whispered through her gritted teeth. “And who are those other four people? What happened?”

Linhardt just let out a sigh before replying. “Because he saw the professor like that, I presume. And those four are from Abyss. It’s a town beneath the monastery. It’s a long story and, like I said, there are more important things to discuss.”

Dorothea glared at the healer before groaning in reluctant acceptance. “If anything goes wrong, it’s on you.”

As the healer was let go he turned back to the gathered students. “So, to address Ashe’s earlier remark, Professor Eisner is not a demon.” While Linhardt spoke he reached into his bag, pulling out the book from the Abyss library. “According to this book, she’s actually the opposite. Beings known as ‘Children of the Goddess’ were able to change their forms into that of large winged creatures, as well as being able to assume characteristics of that form while still human in appearance. Hence what Ashe saw.”

“I guess she really does have a dangerous secret,” Hilda remarked while the others simply looked between each other and Linhardt.

While the rest seemed stunned, Constance’s expression was more intrigued than anything else. “How big is this creature that the professor can turn into? And how strong is she? Obviously she far exceeds any normal person, but how strong and fast is she?”

As soon as Constance’s excited questions began to slow Dorothea stepped forward. “Look, I know this is strange and in her case exciting, but you can’t tell anyone about it. It can’t leave this room. Professor Eisner has had to flee when people have found out before, and nobody here wants that, right?”

The group all muttered various agreements to Dorothea’s claim, but as it quieted down again Claude asked another question. “Who all knows about this? Is this what Lysithea and Leonie are so tight lipped about?”

Dorothea and Linhardt exchanged looks before the songstress gave the archer an answer. “Aside from the Black Eagles, the ones who know are the professor’s father, some of the mercenaries she arrived with, and Lysithea and Leonie.” 

“How is it even possible to keep something like this a secret?” posed Hapi.

Yuri was the one who gave the redheaded mage an answer. “You have to either bring people into your circle, which is what’s happening here, or you have to... dispose of them.”

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Seteth--

Every morning, before the sun rose, Seteth had been patrolling the edges of Garreg Mach, desperately hoping that something would arise that led to the return of Flayn. As he was flying around the monastery however he felt something that even he hadn’t expected. The familiar power of his mother was coming from the center of the monastery, and so immediately he veered off to the balcony outside of the floor he shared with Rhea and Flayn. It was expectedly vacant, so the green haired man continued down the stairs. 

Reaching the second floor he looked to the left towards the audience chamber, but the sight of monks inspecting the open doors gave him pause. Seteth quickly gathered himself and walked towards them. “What is going on here?”

The stern voice startled the monk who was closest to the green haired man. “Bishop Seteth! We apologize for the inconvenience. Lady Rhea is asking us to repair the damage caused by some sort of magical backlash.”

Rhea had been keeping secrets, and up until now he had been willing to trust her, believing that her reasons for doing so must be sufficient. But after sensing his mother’s energy he could think of no justifiable reason for whatever was happening. “And where is the Archbishop?”

“She’s in her office-”

Before the monk could continue Seteth was already moving past him, unwilling to let anything stop him. As soon as he reached the door to her office he threw them open, revealing a startled Rhea. Seteth closed the door behind him and was going to begin his questioning when he saw his sister’s face. It was clear she was distraught, something he hadn’t seen in centuries. “What happened?”

Rhea looked at Seteth before putting her head in her hands. “I just wanted to protect us. To make sure that nothing like the Red Canyon happened again.”

Seteth took a seat next to her. “Rhea, tell me what happened. Why did I sense Mother’s presence? Why are the doors to the audience chamber damaged?”

The green haired woman looked at Seteth through her fingers before her muffled voice came through her hands. “You’ll just think me a monster as well.”

That response worried him, but Seteth continued trying to get her to open up. “You aren’t a monster. Whoever told you that obviously doesn’t know you. Please, tell me what happened.”

“One of my greatest failings came back to haunt me,” began the archbishop, “and in my desire to keep our secrets safe, I didn’t think of others. Which angered Professor Eisner while confirming my success in the worst way.”

“What do you mean by ‘confirmed your success’?” Seteth asked.

At that question Rhea took a deep breath. “You know of my failing with the Chalice. That was not my last time trying to bring back Mother. I have made several more attempts using Mother’s crest stone, the last of which being the professor’s mother. While she was not a suitable vessel, I came to care for her as if she was my child. In turn she gave birth to Byl- the professor, but it seemed as though neither was going to survive. Sitri asked that I give her daughter the crest stone that resided within her, and in doing so I made her the next vessel. And it worked! The professor has Mother within her. I could sense her when the professor expressed her anger. I could feel Mother’s rage at what I had done.” While she had been explaining what had happened, Rhea’s voice had been getting shakier and shakier, and as she finished speaking she finally broke, beginning to sob.

Seteth's mind raced, what he had just learned acting as the catalyst for putting together all the puzzle pieces. The special treatment, the private meetings, the lack of answers Rhea had given anyone. It explained why Byleth had been trusted with so much by Rhea. And why she could use the Sword of the Creator without the crest stone. All of it was because Byleth was a vessel for the goddess.

The two of them sat there as Rhea’s sobs quieted. “I… I just wanted her back. And now she hates me because of the lengths I went to to keep us safe. I just… I couldn’t go through it again. I couldn’t lose any more of us.”

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

The first thing the professor was aware of as she woke up was the feeling of hands running through her hair. “Dad?”

At Byleth’s question the hand froze, and instead of the familiar voice she expected a different but no less enjoyable one answered. “No, I’m not Jeralt. Although he was here for a bit.”

The blue haired woman turned her head, smiling as she saw Edelgard’s periwinkle eyes staring down at her. Instead of saying anything she simply reached for Edelgard’s gloved hand, entwining their fingers, and brought it to her mouth, planting a chaste peck on her palm. “I wish we could stay here forever.”

Edelgard looked at Byleth, so glad to see the joy in her eyes, but saddened by the knowledge that there was still so much to do before they could make that dream a reality. “Unfortunately, there is still much to do. Although your father did say that we could use his office if we needed somewhere to simply be together.”

“Yeah,” Byleth agreed as she slowly sat up. “The first thing is to find Flayn. Which means I need to find Jeritza.”

Sothis suddenly appeared on the couch across from them. “There is also our outburst at the archbishop that will have to be dealt with.”

Byleth looked to the goddess. “What exactly happened in there? I was so angry, but it felt like… more than just me. Like I wasn’t the only one talking. Was that you?”

“I’m not sure,” Sothis replied. “In all the time that I have been with you, nothing has felt as intense as my anger then. It was as if we were both feeling each other’s rage. But for now, you are right. Find Jeritza and rescue Flayn. She does not deserve whatever is happening to her.”

At the apparently one sided conversation, Edelgard cleared her throat. “I apologize for interrupting, but what is our next course of action? It has been several hours since you met with the archbishop.”

“What?!” both Byleth and Sothis exclaimed.

“Yes, you were quite tired,” Edelgard calmly answered before shyly continuing. “And I may have been content to just play with your hair.”

“I need to track down Jeritza then,” Byleth remarked as she stood up. “Thank you for taking care of me after… whatever happened. You are alright, right?”

Edelgard nodded as she stood up. “Yes. Whatever was happening seemed to stop as quickly as it started.”

Byleth gave Edelgard a quick look over before accepting her answer. “Alright. You should go let Hubert know about the plan. He’s probably already plotting my demise for running everyone around these past few days.”

A chuckle escaped the princess’s lips at that remark, putting a smile on Byleth’s face. “I’ll make sure to save you from his wrath, my damsel in distress.” 

“How kind of you,” Byleth replied, a faint blush on her cheeks. “We should get going though.”

With that the blue haired woman headed to the door, but as she put her hand on the doorknob she turned back to Edelgard. Before the princess could ask why she had stopped Byleth leaned towards her and quickly pressed a kiss to Edelgard’s lips before opening the door and rushing out, a soft chuckle slipping through her own as she headed down the hall.

“So, where are we going to start our search?” Sothis asked, floating alongside Byleth.

Byleth looked around, seeing the damaged doors to the audience chamber and wincing before answering the goddess with a whisper. “He usually hangs out around the training grounds, so I’m going to start there.” With that said the professor headed down the stairs to the first floor of the reception hall. Before she could leave however the sound of an argument caught her attention.

“Tell us what you know about the kidnapping,” a monk said, poking a finger into a dark skinned student’s chest.

The tall student, who Byleth thought she had seen with the Blue Lions, simply let out an exasperated sigh at that. “I don’t know anything about Flayn’s abduction.”

A knight who had been standing next to the monk leaned forwards, trying to take up as much space as possible. “We know your kind and what they do. You may have fooled some people, but you won’t fool us!”

Those few words were all it took for Byleth to know what was going on, and immediately she changed course to the loud group. As she approached, the monk and knight seemed to get more sure of themselves, as if they expected her to take their side. “What’s going on here?”

The monk shot the student a smug look before turning back to the professor. “We were just questioning this Duscur man about the kidnapping.” 

Byleth looked the student up and down, then back to the two church members. “Why?” As she asked this the monk’s expression dropped. “Do you have any evidence that he is involved?”

“Of course he’s involved!” the monk retorted. “His people do nothing but scheme and ste-”

Before the man could finish his sentence Byleth’s fist slammed into his face. “I won’t let you harass someone just because you don’t like where they come from!” As Byleth yelled this, everyone in the reception hall froze, including the knight next to her. “You two are part of the Church, and the Church is supposed to help people! If I see either of you tormenting anyone again, I’ll put an end to it for good. Do you understand?”

The knight nodded hastily before picking up the monk, who had his hand on his face, and fleeing from the angry woman. As they ran Byleth looked at the others in the hall, all of whom quickly went back to whatever they were doing, before turning back to the student. “Are you alright?”

The student dipped his head in thanks. “Yes, I am fine, but you should not have done that. If you are seen associating with me then people may think of you as suspicious as well.”

“That’s fine,” Byleth replied immediately. “You’re in the Blue Lions, correct?”

“I am,” he answered. “My name is Dedue. I serve Prince Dimitri as his vassal.”

“Dedue,” repeated the professor. “Well, if anything like that happens again I want you to tell me. I teach the Black Eagles, so you can find me in their classroom.”

Dedue nodded his head again. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to bother you with something so trivial.”

“Making sure that you’re treated like a person isn’t trivial,” countered Byleth. “And I mean it. If something like this happens again, you come find me. I have to go, but it was nice meeting you, Dedue.” The blue haired woman began walking towards the exit of the reception hall as she said this, leaving Dedue where he was with a confused look on his face.

As she left the building, Sothis floated in front of her. “I know that it was the right thing to do, but the manner you went about helping Dedue will only bring more suspicion.” 

“Well,” Byleth whispered, “it’s worth it to let people know that they have support.”

The two didn’t talk for the rest of the short trip to the training grounds, which upon their arrival they found empty, save for Catherine. As Byleth stepped towards the knight she stopped her training. “Hello, professor. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

Byleth simply nodded at that as she looked around. “You haven’t seen Jeritza around, have you?”

“Hmmm…” drawled Catherine. “Can’t say I have. It’s been a few days since I saw him.” The professor frowned at this, prompting the knight to continue. “You may want to check his room in the Knight’s Hall. He may be cooped up there sick or something.”

“Thanks for the information,” Byleth replied.

As the professor turned to leave Catherine spoke up again. “Professor, how were you when that strange pressure happened earlier?”

The hair on the back of Byleth’s neck stood on end at the blonde woman’s tone. Sothis seemed to notice the change in tone as well. “I fear her intentions may be less than pure.”

“It was a surprise,” Byleth replied, “but I’m feeling fine now. How about you?”

The knight gave the professor an inquisitive scan. “Oh, it only lasted a minute or so. I just asked because it felt familiar, but I couldn’t place why. Then you showed up and I realize that it felt similar to your Crest.”

Byleth’s eyes shot open at that remark. “You can feel crests?”

“Yes, I can,” Catherine remarked with a smirk. “It’s a rare gift, but I’ve been able to do it since I was a child. Anyways, I hope you get whatever you need out of Jeritza.” With that said the woman went back to training, leaving Byleth standing there.

“Despite the… implications of that remark,” Sothis said, snapping Byleth’s attention to her, “we need to get going. And perhaps gather some back up if we are going to be leading a charge on someone who has a solid chance of defeating you in a fight.”

Byleth, heeding the goddess’s words, left the training ground and headed towards the classrooms. As she turned to enter her class though she saw that the door was closed, which surprised her. Normally it was left open for students to study. She walked up to it and slowly opened it, hoping not to startle whoever may be inside.

When the door was open enough to slip inside Byleth snuck through the gap and saw Dorothea and Petra, with the songstress quietly speaking. “-just don’t want to have you be surprised and realize it’s not something you’re willing to… work with.”

Petra placed her hand on top of Dorothea’s at that, a soft smile on her face. “I am not having worried about what weapon you are fighting with, but only that I am fighting beside you.”

Realizing that this was a conversation that they probably wanted to have in private Byleth cleared her throat, alerting her students to her presence. Immediately the two of them spun around.

“Professor!” Petra exclaimed gleefully. “You are returning!”

While the Brigid girl was excited, Dorothea seemed a bit more stressed. “Professor, we need to talk. More people know about you.”

Those words stopped Byleth’s thoughts in their tracks. “What do you mean?”

“Ashe apparently saw whatever happened outside of the audience chamber,” the songstress explained. “Linhardt decided that instead of letting them spread rumors it would be better if they knew the truth and were asked to not tell anyone.”

“I suppose that is better than rumors,” Sothis admitted. “Although our list of concerns is growing worryingly long today.”

Byleth took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Ok. I’ll have to talk to him later to find out who knows what. But for now, I need to get everyone together. I have a lead on Flayn.”

The two girls stood up at that. “We will be doing the help, professor!” Petra replied, followed by a nod from Dorothea.

“We need to get the other Black Eagles,” Byleth remarked. “Edelgard is the only one I’ve seen, and she’s making sure that if this lead pans out things don’t go wrong. So that leaves Hubert, Caspar, Linhardt, Ferdinand, and Bernie.”

“Then let us begin with the searching!” Petra replied.

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

The white haired house leader had been following the professor as she rounded up the other students to investigate Jeritza. The Flame Emperor outfit, or enough of it to identify her as them, was in a bag she was carrying so she could change into it once she needed to. Now Byleth was leading them into the knight’s hall, which was thankfully devoid of people currently. As the group reached the warrior’s room, however, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

“Professor Manuela!” Byleth cried out.

As the Black Eagles entered the room muffled voices came out, prompting Edelgard to sneak closer. When she did so she heard Linhardt addressing the situation. “She’s alive, but she needs help.”

“You and Caspar take her to the infirmary,” ordered Byleth. “Once there tend to her with whatever help is there, and Caspar you go get the Knights and bring them back here. The rest of us will go down the tunnel.”

Sounds of shuffling were heard from the room, prompting Edelgard to duck into an alcove. Shortly after doing so, Linhardt and Caspar walked by carrying the limp form of Professor Manuela. At that sight Edelgard couldn’t help but wonder if something could have been done sooner that might have prevented this situation, but she knew that lingering on that line of thinking would only cause her more suffering at the moment. After a minute or so Edelgard snuck back to the room, finding it empty with a tunnel behind a bookcase. She quickly donned the costume and proceeded into the dark passage.

At the bottom of the passage Edelgard was unsurprised to find herself entering a large chamber similar to those she saw in Abyss. To her right was some kind of pad bearing symbols that her basic knowledge of magic told her was related to teleportation. On her left there was a large door that was open, and through it the cacophony of battle was heard. As she peeked through the doorway her hypothesis that TWSITD were involved was confirmed by the armor and outfits of the brigands her classmates were fighting.

As Edelgard pulled back around the corner she realized a flaw with her plan. She wouldn’t know when to teleport in, nor where to teleport to, unless she kept within sight of the others. Which might lead to her being discovered. While she thought about how to solve that issue the others moved onwards, having cleared their immediate vicinity.

While moving up to follow, Edelgard heard voices from beyond a cracked wall. She stepped closer, and as she did she saw a loose brick. Quickly and quietly pulling it free, she saw just where those voices were coming from. 

“-found us! We need to get out of here!” One of Thales’s men no doubt.

“No,” a distorted, monotone, voice replied. That would be Jeritza, or more specifically the Death Knight.

Edelgard ignored the rest of their conversation, instead merely paying attention to whether or not the fighting reached the room she was looking into. She didn’t have to wait long before the sounds of doors opening were heard, followed by Byleth’s voice “You! Whe- Flayn!”

Apparently the girl was in the room, although from her angle Edelgard was unable to see her. Before anything else could happen however Dorothea yelled out. “Get away from her, you monsters!” Immediately after those words the sounds of fire consuming a person, along with their screams filled the air.

Byleth’s voice was the next to cut through the chaos, shouting orders for the Black Eagles. “Everyone fall back to defensible positions! Petra, up front with me!”

Now was the time to teleport in, Edelgard decided. As she went to use the armor’s power though the hoofbeats of the Death Knight’s steed charging forward rang out before a shrill cry. “PETRA!”

The magic activated, bringing the disguised princess into the room, but as she scanned for the knight to call him off her blood went cold. He was in front of the group, his scythe pointed down. Byleth was holding onto its shaft, keeping the weapons blade from reaching Petra. She hadn’t been able to stop the attack completely however, and the blade was buried in her stomach, it’s tip coated in green blood as it protruded from the woman’s back.

Almost on instinct Edelgard acted. “Death Knight! Retreat!” 

The sudden order got everyone’s attention but, with a bit of hesitation, the armored rider wrenched his blade back, ripping it out of Byleth’s side before a grunt of acknowledgement was heard. Suddenly purple magic surrounded him and he was gone.

As the professor collapsed Edelgard started to run forward, only to be blocked by Petra. “You will be not going further.” Behind the swordswoman Dorothea was by the blue haired woman’s side, her hands aglow with faith magic.

Edelgard immediately yanked her helmet off, revealing her face to Petra before running past and kneeling by Byleth’s side. “Byleth, stay with us.”

“Edelgard?!” Ferdinand blurted out, shocked by her arrival and appearance. “Are you working with these fiends?”

The princess paid no heed to his words however, taking Byleth’s hand instead. “I’m sorry for being late. This is my fault.”

Byleth looked to her, her hand weakly grasping Edelgard’s, before giving a reply. “It’s not your fault. And at least I’m not dead yet,” she raspily muttered.

Before either of them could continue, Ferdinand called out again. “Edelgard, answer my question. Are you working with Flayn’s kidnappers?”

Hubert seemed ready to interject when Byleth looked up to the orange haired lancer. “No, she’s not. It’s complicated, but she’s not.”

“You need to conserve your energy, Professor,” Dorothea chided. “I may be a good healer, but this is… a lot.”

Edelgard looked down at Byleth’s wound, seeing it still seeping green blood, coating the songstress’s hands. “I’ll explain everything once Byleth is stable.”

Hubert, having been cut off before, interjected. “You should not make that promise, Lady Edelgard. Some secrecy is necessary.”

The white haired woman glared at her vassal. “I am to blame for this, at least in part. I must make amends for that.”

Byleth squeezed her hand tighter, drawing Edelgard’s attention back to her. “The Knights are coming. You need to get out of here.” Edelgard made to disagree, but Byleth cut her off. “Go. I’ll be fine.”   
  
Edelgard looked over Byleth once more with a worry filled expression before nodding. She let go of the professor’s hand and took a few steps back. “I’ll give you all the answers you deserve.” Before anyone could respond she put the helmet back on and activated it’s magic once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Byleth keeps getting the sharp end of the blade, doesn't she? I wonder who's going to be leading the knights that come as reinforcements? So many options, so much opportunity. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know I had some fun writing it. Let me know what you think in the comments, even if it's just screaming at me for being a terrible person.


	36. Trauma - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Flayn's rescue comes crashing down

\--5th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Seteth--

Hectic didn’t begin to describe the day that Seteth had been having. First there was the revelation from Rhea about Professor Eisner, and then he had tried to find the professor only to come up empty handed. After that it got back to him that apparently she had struck a monk in the reception hall, and now there was some kind of commotion in the hallway outside his office. Seteth had had enough of it. He stood up and headed to the door, and upon opening it was expecting to have to chastise some students about proper decorum. Instead he found two students, one of whom was carrying an unconscious and bleeding Professor Cassagranda, followed by several knights. Exiting his office, one of the knights came to a halt right in front of him. “Bishop Seteth! A situation has arisen. Apparently Professor Eisner found a lead on your sister’s kidnapping and while investigating they found Professor Cassagranda! Once we get her to the infirmary we are going to be reinforcing the Professor and her other students.”

At the mention of Flayn all thoughts of today’s inconveniences left Seteth’s mind. “I’m going with you. I refuse to stand by while Flayn is rescued.” The green haired man went back into his office, opening up a small door and pulling out a familiar spear. He would not let anything happen to Flayn. As he hurried back into the hallway he saw the student who had been carrying the injured professor, Caspar, exiting the infirmary. “Mister von Bergliez, lead us to your professor.”

The blue haired student nodded before running down the hall, Seteth and the Knights following just behind him. When Caspar turned to enter the knight’s hall Seteth’s throat tightened. If this was the way to where his daughter was being held it meant that someone within the Church had been acting against them. His fears were confirmed when in Jeritza’s room he saw a tunnel that had been hidden. Caspar charged down the stairs and soon they were in a chamber similar to those in Abyss.

At a doorway off to the side stood another one of Professor Eisner’s students, this time the von Aegir boy. The instant he saw them, he beckoned them over. “This way, hurry! Anyone who can heal get ready! The professor is severely wounded.”

The orange haired boy turned around, taking on the role of guide and leading the group through several rooms before finally the other students came into view, some grouping around someone on the ground. As he got closer he saw that the person in the middle was Professor Eisner. The next thing he noticed was the horrific state she was in. An enormous gash had been torn across her stomach, and green blood was pooling around her, confirming what Rhea had said and sparking whispers from the knights behind him. One of her students was doing her best to heal it, but he could tell that she was already reaching her limit as she was almost as pale as the professor.

“Anyone with healing magic, get over here now!” Seteth barked out at the knights before pointing to one of the nearby knights who had a shield. “Get your shield off. We’ll use it to take the professor up to the monastery.”

While the knights moved to follow their orders Seteth looked past the group of students, his eyes falling on two more of the professor’s students next to Flayn and another girl. As he ran over the two students, Misses von Varley and Macneary, looked up at him, the shorter one cowering while the taller one spoke up. “They are being fine, but something is keeping them from waking up.”

Seteth knelt beside Flayn, quickly inspecting her and confirming what Miss Macneary said. “Thank you. For all that you have done here.”

“You-you’re going to make sure the professor is fine, right?” Miss von Varley asked quietly.

The bishop looked back to the wounded professor, watching the healers work. “Yes, we will.” As he spoke he hoped that he would be able to keep that promise.

Even with the few additional healers that had come with them, moving the professor was a slog. The trek up the stairs and out of the knight’s hall took several times longer than it had taken on the way down as they had to have someone working just to keep her from bleeding out. Even after finally making it to the infirmary things were tenuous at best. Professor Cassagranda was still unconscious and the student who had been tending to her was almost as drained as the girl who had been tending to the professor before the knights arrived. Knowing time was of the essence Seteth began ordering knights around once more. “All of you who can’t heal, scour the monastery for any healers. Any students, any off duty knights, anyone. Send them back here and tell any patrols you see to send their healers here as well.” 

An assortment of white magic users began to flow in and Seteth began to sort them into groups so that nobody was working alone on healing the professor, but soon enough the thing that the bishop had been fearing happened. Clamoring came from the hallway, growing louder before shouting was heard. Seteth took a deep breath and walked out of the infirmary, seeing Jeralt trying to push his way through several knights. As he approached the mercenary turned knight called out to him. “Seteth! Let me through! Let me see my daughter!”

Seeing the pained look on Jeralt’s face he ordered the knights to let him through, but as the blonde man tried to run past he was grabbed by Seteth. “Jeralt, you need to calm down. You can see her, but the healers need to focus on tending to her.”   
  
Jeralt’s panic-stricken eyes locked on Seteth’s and the man took a few shallow breaths before he nodded. Seteth led him into the room and over to the bed in which his daughter was laying. Upon seeing her still form, her clothes cut open and covered in blood, a neat slice exposing her organs, the man crumpled, reaching out for his daughter’s hand. The bishop knew that he couldn’t leave the knight here and so he pulled Jeralt to his feet before leading him out of the infirmary and into his office next door. He sat the man on the couch before leaving him there, knowing that there was nothing that could be done at the moment.

The healers worked in groups well into the night, the more skilled ones repairing the damage while others focused on keeping the professor stable. Even with this it was draining, with the mages resting wherever they could. Seteth had known that would be the case however. If he didn’t know what he did about the blue haired woman he would have thought it a miracle that she even made it out of the knight’s hall. Instead he knew that while it may take quite a while she would make a full recovery. Such was the power of the blood that ran through their veins.

\--6th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Jeralt--

It was some profane hour of the early morning when someone knocked on the door to Jeralt’s office. Since learning about Byleth’s state he had done little more than move to his desk and pull out a bottle of liquor, and he was tempted to simply ignore the person on the other side of the door. He knew that wouldn’t help though, and so he reluctantly answered them. “Come in.”

As the door opened he saw Seteth standing there looking disheveled from the same long night. The bishop walked in, closing the door behind him, and took a seat. For a while the two of them simply sat there, neither willing to speak for fear of what the other might say, until Seteth finally broke the silence. “The healers have done all that they can for her right now. She’s out of immediate danger.”

Jeralt didn’t look at the bishop, simply staring at the bottle on his desk. “You know, this is the second time I’ve been helpless in this room while waiting to see if someone I love dies. It was almost 21 years ago to the day, in fact. My wife was giving birth, but something started going wrong. I got ushered out of the room and told to wait. That everything would be fine. Then several hours later, Rhea comes to me. In her arms she has a baby. She hands me the baby, my child, and tells me that Sitri didn’t make it. She tells me she’s sorry. That nothing else could be done. And then she leaves me, a man who just lost the love of his life, with a child that doesn’t make noise. They didn’t cry, or laugh. Even once she learned to talk the best I could get out of her for years was a word or two in response to a question. And for 6 years I wondered just what I had done to end up with a constant reminder of all that I had lost. Until one day, when I’m on the edge of death, she cries for me. And as I recovered I got to see all these wonderful emotions bubbling out of her. I hear her laughter, her sadness, her joy, her amazement, and so many more wonderful things. It brought that light back into my life. I realized that for the first time in years I was happy again. And now I almost had that taken from me again.”

Once he finished Jeralt looked up at Seteth. The man’s face bore an expression of sadness and understanding. “I’m sorry that this place brings you such pain… I lost my wife before coming here, and that loss has made me somewhat overprotective of Flayn. I fear that losing her would be too much for me to handle. This may sound odd, but I admire your bravery. Allowing your daughter to go out on her own is not something I think I could do.”

A gruff laugh escaped Jeralt at that. “I mean, there isn’t really any other choice. Ever since she was able to hold a sword By’s wanted to protect people. If I tried to stop it then she’d just end up doing it without me knowing.” His eyes wandered to a vase of flowers that was sitting on his desk. “She gets that from her mother. Sitri was always so caring, but if you tried to get between her and someone in need she’d bowl you over to get to them, danger be damned.”

Seteth seemed to think about this, not paying attention to the knight anymore. After a while Jeralt cleared his throat, causing the man to snap back to reality. “I’m sorry. I got caught up in my own head for a second. Well, I’m going to go and get some rest. I suggest you do the same.”

With that the green haired man stood up and headed to the door, but as he was opening it Jeralt called out to him one last time. “Seteth,” he said, waiting for the man to face him before continuing. “Thank you. For saving Byleth.” A faint smile grew on the bishop’s lips before he simply nodded and continued out the door, leaving Jeralt with his thoughts one more.

\--6th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Edelgard sat in the dining hall, bags under her eyes while she slowly pushed her food around on her plate. She hadn’t slept at all last night, her thoughts on Byleth and what she would have to tell her classmates. Hubert had objected, of course, but she remained adamant that they deserved to know and sent him to ask them to come to her room after breakfast. Now she was just biding her time until then, lost in her thoughts.

She was brought out of her head suddenly as someone sat down across from her. Upon looking up from her plate Edelgard saw Lysithea, looking similarly exhausted. “Professor Eisner isn’t in danger any more.” As Lysithea said that Edelgard let out a breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding. “I thought you might want to know that. Apparently the healers finished early this morning.”

“Thank you,” Edelgard replied. “I… I was quite worried.”

A sarcastic chuff escaped Lysithea at that. “I could tell. You look like you were up all night. Which is fair. I know how  _ tough _ the professor is and I was worried that she wouldn’t make it. I… how did that even happen? It was like she was nearly cut in half.”

Before Edelgard could begin to answer that question a thought crossed her mind. “Do you have anything immediately after this?” Lysithea shook her head at that, giving her answer. “Then finish your food quickly and follow me.”

Lysithea’s brows cocked in confusion but before she could say anything Edelgard stood up. The shorter girl looked between her food and the departing house leader before taking another bite and getting up to follow. The two of them silently headed to the dormitories and into Edelgard’s room before finally the princess broke the silence. “I apologize for the abruptness of this. It’s just that I am going to be… explaining some things to my classmates and I thought you deserved the opportunity to hear it as well.”

“And this  _ explanation _ has something to do with the state Professor Eisner is in?” asked Lysithea.

Edelgard nodded. “To a degree. That is what made me want to let the others know what is happening.”

The short mage pondered that for a second. “And does this have to do with our mutual enemy?”

As Edelgard began to reply there was a knock at the door. “It does. And hopefully this is some of the others. Come in.”

With permission given the door opened to reveal Hubert and the other Black Eagles. “I have gathered our classmates as you requested, Lady Edelgard.” The lanky mage stepped to the side and ushered everyone into the room before closing the door behind him. Once he locked the door he made a quick gesture and the sounds of the world outside the room fell away. “We can now speak freely.”

  
“Thank you, Hubert,” Edelgard replied before taking a deep breath. “I suppose the best place to start is the beginning. 13 years ago, the Hrym family attempted to secede from the Empire and join the Leicester Alliance with the assistance of House Ordelia. This was quickly suppressed and House Aegir was tasked with governing the region via a puppet leader. This scared the nobles into believing that the Emperor would seize power from them and assume total control. This belief was no doubt fueled by another group, but I will tell you about them shortly. Six nobles worked to wrest power from my father, turning him into little more than a figurehead. Those nobles were Duke Gerth, Marquis Vestra, Count Varley, Count Hevring, Duke Aegir, and Lord Arundel.”

Before Edelgard could continue Ferdinand interjected. “My father would do no such thing.”

“Your father is a coward and a worm,” Hubert deadpanned in reply. “Now let Lady Edelgard continue.”

Edelgard cleared her throat at that, taking another deep breath. “As I was saying, those six nobles stripped my father of his power and Duke Aegir was put in place as the true authority behind the throne. My uncle, Lord Arundel, fled to Faerghus with my mother and I, keeping us unaware of each other’s presence, under the guise of keeping us safe. I do not know his true intentions in the Kingdom, but I do know that he was merely using us. Before I go further, does anyone have any questions?”

Ferdinand didn’t wait to be acknowledged before speaking up again. “You say that my father and other nobles did this, but what proof do you have? And what does this have to do with you being able to order around the knight that wounded our professor?”

The house leader calmly turned to the orange haired boy. “Hubert and I have collected various missives between the nobles as well as documents detailing payments to various groups who can be traced to action against the Empire. As for the Death Knight, that has to do with the other group. Before I talk about them, does anyone else have any questions?” Despite some murmurs under their breath, nobody brought forth any more questions. “Very well. The other group is one that has existed within Fodlan for decades, perhaps centuries, working exclusively from the shadows. I learned of them upon returning from Faerghus with Lord Arundel. Or at least the person disguised as him. When I arrived in Enbarr I was secreted away to the dungeons beneath the Imperial Palace where I was placed with my siblings. I would be surprised if any of you did not at least know that there were once eleven children within the Imperial family. I was the ninth, but the only one to inherit a Crest of Serios. The accepted story regarding the decimation of my siblings was that a sickness tore through us. In reality we were being experimented on.” Edelgard paused to calm herself, realizing that her breathing was getting erratic. “The group that I mentioned had infiltrated Enbarr and worked to strip my father of power so that one of his children could be turned into a weapon to be wielded against their foes. They were attempting, and succeeded in, implanting a Crest within a person. In this case, I was the person who was used, and the crest in question was the Crest of Flames. All it cost was my siblings and countless others.”

At this everyone save Hubert and Lysithea looked at her in shock. Slowly they seemed to pull themselves together, with Dorothea being the first. “That’s awful, Edie. Why would anyone do such a thing? What would they gain from such a waste?”

A melancholic laugh escaped Edelgard’s lips. “They wish to use me to destroy their enemy, as I said. In this case, it’s the Church of Serios. From what I have managed to learn, this group and the church have been enemies since the time of the Goddess. And while I may take issue with how the Church beats down anyone who opposes them I want nothing more than to see this monstrous filth scoured from Fodlan. But instead I am played as if I am a piece in a board game.” As she said this Edelgard’s eyes filled with a fury and sorrow that startled the others.

“Then why do you still work for them?” Caspar asked, his tone revealing his true feelings. “If they do terrible things you should stop them, not let it continue!”

As soon as the blue haired boy said this, something within Edelgard that had been bending for so long finally snapped. “Do you think I haven’t tried that!” she cried. “I’ve lost so much because of my actions trying to stop them! You know what they did in the dungeons when I fought back? They tied me to a chair and made me watch as they cut my siblings open! They took children and sliced them into pieces just to put them back together! They took me apart and put me back together because I was the most likely to bear them the fruits of their profane efforts!” As Edelgard yelled she reached for the front of her shirt, tearing it open and revealing the network of precise scars that had been carved into her flesh years ago. “This is what they did to me, to all of my siblings, and to countless others! What person could possibly think that this was worth anything?! So I try to work against them! I try to make their plans go awry! But sometimes it doesn’t work out! Like with Byleth! We wanted to make sure that nobody got hurt. That I called off the Death Knight in time. But I failed. And because of that she nearly got killed.” By now what little care for decorum Edelgard had was gone and she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She looked down at the floor, her next words coming out as little more than a whisper. “Because of me the woman I love nearly died.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, that chapter title is ominous. So... on the plus side Byleth isn't the one getting the angst this time? That may be because she's currently unconscious, but it still counts! Right? Anyway, I had lots of feelings writing this chapter, so I hope you had just as many reading it. Let me know what you think in the comments, even if it's just unintelligible screaming.


	37. Trauma - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations continue with Edelgard while Flayn and Ingrid each begin to search for answers.

\--6th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Dorothea--

After the reveal of Edelgard’s involvement with the rider who kidnapped Flayn, Dorothea would be lying if she said that the thought that her house leader may be trying to deceive them didn’t cross her mind. But during her time in the opera she had picked up an eye for reading people, especially shifty nobles, and everything about Edelgard pointed to her telling the truth. Which was honestly more terrifying when she thought about it. But that could wait. Right now her friend was hurting. “Can you give us the room for a bit? I’m sure Edie doesn’t need to have everyone staring at her right now.” With that Dorothea walked towards the white haired girl, crouching down in front of her and offering her hand.

Edelgald looked up from the floor, her eyes filled with a broken look. She didn’t give an answer, instead simply lowering her eyes back down before putting her hand in Dorothea’s reluctantly. The songstress helped her up before turning around to see everyone still standing there. “I was serious when I said leave. I’ll come get you once she’s ready.”

Petra nodded and began ushering everyone out through the door. While that happened Lysithea walked up to Dorothea and Edelgard. “What can I do to help.”

As Lysithea asks this Petra heads over, her intent to get everyone out of the room. Before she can do that however Edelgard quietly speaks up. “She can stay.”

With that Petra nods before turning around and closing the door behind her, leaving the three alone. Dorothea takes charge, guiding Edelgard to take a seat on her bed. “Lysithea, can you get some comfortable clothes from Edie’s dresser?” While Lysithea walked over to the dresser Dorothea wiped the tears from Edelgard’s eyes. Slowly the crying tapered off while the sound of wood sliding against wood increased with Lysithea’s frustration..

“Second drawer on the left,” Edelgard directed, earning a nod in reply from Lysithea.

Meanwhile Dorothea sat down on the bed next to Edelgard. “Edie, let’s get you out of those ruined clothes.” 

Edelgard began to pull off her jacket and blouse at that, revealing just how extensive the scarring was. It wasn’t just on her chest, but extended onto her arms, stopping just above her elbows save for much rougher marks at her wrists, as well as going down beneath the top of her shorts. While Dorothea was staring, Lysithea walked up. “If it’s too much I can handle this.”

“I just don’t know how anyone could do this to people,” Dorothea replied. “Let alone children. How can you just act like this is normal?”

Lysithea let out a sigh as she handed Edelgard a tunic. “This was the only thing that wasn’t fancy in there. And this is normal for me. I was their proof of concept.” As Lysithea’s hand goes back to her side Dorothea catches sight of a rough scar just under her cuff.

Dorothea immediately wrapped her arms around the both of them, pulling them into a unyielding embrace without a care for decorum, or for the fact that Edelgard was still only halfway in her shirt with her arms over her head. “I want both of you to know that I’ll stand with you no matter what.”

While Lysithea struggled to get out of the songstress's arms Edelgard replied, her voice muffled by her shirt. “You should wait until you know everything. Also, can I put my shirt on?”

“Oh,” uttered Dorothea, releasing the two. “Sorry!” Edelgard finished pulling her tunic down before taking a deep breath. As the sleeves settled Dorothea saw that they ended in the middle of her forearms, leaving the scars around her wrists exposed. “Are you sure you don’t want something longer?”

The house leader looked down at the scars. “No. I’m trying to let you all know what I’m doing. That means no more hiding… Can you let the others back in?”

Dorothea shared a concerned look with Lysithea. “Are you ready?”

“No,” Edelgard admitted, “but I doubt that I will be before the day is done.”

“Ok…” drew out the brunette songstress, turning and heading towards the door. As she opened the door Hubert’s back was revealed. Apparently the lanky mage had been standing guard. “She says you can come in.”

The others flowed into the other side of the room from Edelgard, seemingly deflated by her previous outburst. As everyone stood quietly Dorothea could see their eyes track down to the marred skin on the house leader’s wrists, hoping that Edelgard wasn’t regretting her decision. When Dorothea shifted her focus to Edelgard however she noticed that while still shaky, she at least looked a bit more relaxed, like a tension was gone from her. “Well, now you know what has brought me to this point. As for what’s next, that’s why Byleth and I were working together. Besides just the ones who work from the shadows, there is another group that has caused pain and destruction to keep their power and control using crests. As most of you have seen, the Church of Serios is quick to silence anyone who challenges their authority. Those who side with them are given Holy Relics to keep good favor.”

As Edelgard quieted the others looked at her, silently processing the claim she had just made. Dorothea thought of the missions that the Church had sent them on. Their first mission was to kill bandits, but something the professor had said came to mind. When she had talked about meeting with the archbishop she relayed that one of the reasons the students were tasked with it was to show them what happens to those who disobey the rules of the Church. At the time she had still been too shaken to really understand, but now it fit what Edelgard was telling her like a piece in a puzzle. “I believe you, Edie. I think you’re right.”   
  
Edelgard turned to her, surprise clear on her face. “Just like that?”   
  
Dorothea nodded before turning to the others. “The professor said, after our first mission, that we were sent on it because Lady Rhea wanted us to know what happens to those who defy the Goddess. Plus there was the fact that instead of trying to talk with the Western Church or the lord that supported them she simply sent in knights to quell the rebellion.”   
  
“There’s also the fact that they’re hiding knowledge.” Everyone looked to Linhardt at that. “The library in the monastery is very carefully curated, with most subjects presented from the perspective of the church or its allies. And the library in Abyss had books that were partially destroyed but contained knowledge of topics you couldn’t find elsewhere, some of which were signed by Seteth.”

Ferdinand was oddly silent. With his earlier outburst Dorothea had expected him to be more vocally against this. Instead he simply stood there, a puzzled look on his face as if he was still trying to put together the pieces. Which knowing him could take a while. The songstress decided that it would be better if his thoughts were out in the open. “What has so puzzled you, Ferdinand von Aegir? Is this all too much for you?”

The orange haired boy’s head snapped up at that. “No, I am merely trying to find the words to express my thoughts. I suppose the best way to put it is if you plan to act against the church, why go so far to rescue someone who is so closely tied to their high ranking members?”   
  
“Ferdinand!” exclaimed Dorothea, stunned at what he was suggesting.

Edelgard was thinking of her response when Petra grabbed everyone’s attention. “I think that I am having the answer for this. I am being displeasure with the Empire for what they have done to my home. But I am being enjoyed to know you all, even though you are from there.”

Petra looked at the Imperial Princess with a smile, to which Edelgard nodded. “She’s right. I despise what the church has done but that does not mean I will leave it’s wards to suffer. If I am ever to remedy their wrongs I cannot lower myself to their level.”

“A sufficient answer,” Ferdinand replied. “You have my support.”

Murmurs of agreement came from everyone else, save for Bernadetta. “But won’t it be dangerous? The church is big and so many people support it.”   
  
“It will be dangerous no matter what,” Hubert remarked. “Even those who try to avoid choosing a side will be caught in the crossfire.”

“We will make sure that you are safe, Bernad- I mean Bernie!,” added Ferdinand wrapping his arm around the short archer and failing to notice her blush. “It is the duty of those who bear responsibility to protect those they serve. But they must also protect those who work with them.”

Hubert smirked at that before his stabbing wit came out. “For once something coming out of your mouth makes sense.”

Ferdinand simply looked to the lanky mage with a smirk of his own. “I suppose I’ll have to take that as a compliment.”

Dorothea looked back to Edelgard and saw that for the first time in over a week she had a real smile on her face.

\--6th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Flayn--

Flayn had been walking back from the dining hall when suddenly an arm wrapped around her and dragged her back, covering her mouth so that she could not scream. But suddenly everything changed around her. There was no longer a hand covering her mouth, so she let out a scream, hoping someone would hear her and help her. As she did that however something grabbed her shoulders, causing her to lash out. Surprisingly she felt her fist collide with something, causing her to take a moment and figure out where she was. Looking around Flayn saw the familiar surroundings of her room. She quickly turned to where her blind failing had hit someone and saw her father sitting on the floor holding his face. “F-Brother!”

Seteth looked up and immediately a smile shot across his face. “Flayn! You’re alright!” The green haired man scrambled to his feet before almost lunging at Flayn, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She felt him pull away from her slightly. “Thank you for your help,” he said, confusing Flayn until a monk came into view from behind her and left the room.

For a while longer Seteth simply held tightly onto Flayn, but after several seconds of confusion she broke the silence. “Um, what happened father?”

The grip around Flayn tightened for a second before finally relaxing and allowing her to move. Her father pulled back, his hands remaining on her shoulders. “You were kidnapped. You were missing for 5 days before Professor Eisner and her students found you.”

“What?!” exclaimed Flayn. “The last thing I remember is walking back to the reception hall? Who would kidnap someone in the middle of the monastery?”

“Jeritza, one of the instructors, was apparently also the Knight that was seen in the Holy Mausoleum as well as the one who kidnapped you,” Seteth explained. “For now, just rest. Once you have recovered some more we’ll be leaving.”   
  
At that Flayn’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean leaving?”

The look in Seteth’s eyes went from caring to serious in an instant. “There may be others who are working with whoever planned this. If they were just targeting random people then why would they come to the monastery where things would be more dangerous? They had to be targeting you. And I’m not going to let you get taken from me again.”

“But they were stopped!” Flayn argued, shrugging her father’s hands off her shoulders. “You said Professor Eisner and her students rescued me. If they were able to do so, then we can at least trust them to help.”   
  


Her father looked away from her at that. “We don’t know that for sure. Especially not after what happened…”

“Father,” said Flayn, getting Seteth’s focus on her again. “What do you mean ‘after what happened’? What are you not telling me?”

“During the rescue,” Seteth began, “Professor Manuella was found injured, most likely from confronting Jeritza. Then during the rescue Professor Eisner was nearly killed when she took a blow aimed at one of her students. She would have died if not for…”   
  
As Seteth’s words trailed off Flayn only got more suspicious. “If not for what? What happened that saved her?”   
  
Seteth let out a sigh before grabbing the chair at Flayn desk and sitting down. “I learned yesterday that the professor is… one of us.”   
  
Flayn’s eyes went wide while her mind started racing. The professor was a Nabatean? But how? And why are her hair and eyes not green? “Does this mean that there are others out there who survived?”

“No,” her father replied, shaking his head. “Rhea also told me that after her failure to bring back Sothis with the Chalice, she began to conduct other… experiments. She tried to create vessels for the Goddess using her crest stone. The professor is one such vessel. And apparently she is a success. She can transform to some degree, as well as being able to at least unintentionally harness Sothis’s power.”

For a few seconds Flayn didn’t reply, trying to process this information. Once she had however one thought came to mind. “Then why can’t we trust the professor? She was the one who rescued me, and she wouldn’t fear us! She certainly wouldn’t hunt us for our blood! Surely that makes this the safest place!”   
  
“Because she opposes Rhea!” Seteth yelled, his frustration clear on his face. “Rhea learned that the professor could use the power of Mother because she unleashed it while decrying her actions. And while it may have helped her realize that she has gone too far sometimes, I won’t risk getting caught in the middle of that quarrel, should it come.”

“Then we should see what the professor has to say!,” Flayn countered. “Where would we even go if we left? Would we go back into hiding, living in some cave in the middle of nowhere?”   
  
Seteth stood up at that, his voice rising with him. “At least then you would be safe!”   
  
Flayn stood up as well, determined to not let her father sequester her away again. “Maybe I would rather have a life than be safe!” That seemed to make her father pause and in that moment Flayn bolted out of her room.

She wasn’t really paying attention to where her feet took her, only wanting to put distance between herself and her father, so she was shocked when she ran into someone, falling to the ground from the collision. Quickly she gathered her bearing and saw that the person she had bumped into was Edelgard, although she was wearing much less formal clothes than her usual school outfit. The Black Eagles house leader had also fallen over but was holding a small pot with flowers in it. “I’m so sorry! I hope you’re alright!”   
  
Edelgard began to stand up before she replied. “I’m fine. Doing better now that I see you are awake. But what has you in such a rush?”   
  
“I just need some space from my brother,” Flayn answered. “I should get out of your way.”

As Flayn stood up and was beginning to move past Edelgard spoke up again. “If you wish you can visit the professor with me.” When the green haired girl paused she continued. “If you wish to be alone, that is fine, but I know that sometimes talking about your issues can help.”

Flayn hesitated for a bit at the offer. “I do wish to see how the Professor is doing. My brother told me she was injured during my rescue.”

A sad smile appeared on Edelgard’s face at those words. “Then follow me. Professor Eisner is in the infirmary.” 

The two of them quickly headed to the infirmary, mostly due to Flayn’s desire to not be seen by her father. As they open the door they are greeted by the sight of Professor Casagranda sitting at the table in the corner. “Hello you two. I’m glad to see you Flayn! Your brother was tearing the monastery apart looking for you.”

“Professor Casagranda,” Flayn begins, “I’m glad to see you as well. Seteth told me that you and Professor Eisner were injured in my rescue.”

The brunette healer lets out a dry laugh, her hand immediately going to her stomach as she winces. “I didn’t have much part in the rescue aside from getting stabbed. But what brings you two here? Surely you can’t just be here to chat with me.”

“I wanted to make sure that both you and Professor Eisner were alright and thank you for rescuing me,” Flayn replies.

Immediately the healer’s face gains that same sad smile as Edelgard’s had. “I’m doing fine, despite the fact that I’ll have to take it easy for a month or so.”   
  
It isn’t lost on Flayn that Professor Eisner isn’t mentioned. “And where is Professor Eisner? Edelgard said that she is here? I would like to thank her as well.”

A sight escapes Professor Casagranda’s lips before she slowly stands up and turns to a curtained off portion of the room. “She’s over here. Although I don’t expect she’ll be up for much of a conversation.”   
  
The two girls head towards the curtain as the healer parts it, revealing the still form of the blue haired woman, the sight immediately shocking Flayn. The woman is far paler than usual, having an almost corpse-like pallor. There is a small stand beside her on which multiple herbs and medicines rest, suffusing the air with a strong scent. In a bin next to the bed there are multiple rags and bandages that have been dyed green by what Flayn knows is the woman’s blood. “What happened to her?”

Edelgard is the one to answer her. “She stood in the path of an attack meant for Petra, but in the process got impaled by the Death Knight’s scythe.”

“That’s the nice way of putting it,” Professor Casagranda commented dryly. “The more accurate way to put it is she was very nearly cut in two. I woke up as they worked on healing her. Even with every healer in Garreg Mach putting in work it took until the early hours of the morning to get her to this point. If I’m lucky to be alive, she was saved by a miracle performed by the Goddess Herself. It’s going to take a while for her to recover.”

Flayn simply stared at the woman before her, wondering how her father could consider abandoning someone who was willing to risk so much for her.

While Flayn had been thinking, Edelgard had pulled up a chair next to the professor’s bed and set the flowers on the small stand next to it. “So, do you wish to talk about what has you angry at your brother?”

The posed question made Flayn a bit suspicious, wondering if the white haired girl had some other motive. But it had been chance that they had run into each other. “He thinks that we should leave after what happened. That it is too dangerous here. But I don’t want to go. For a long time before we arrived at Garreg Mach we lived far out of the way. And it’s been so wonderful getting to be around other people! I can’t go back to that. It was so lonely.”   
  
Edelgard seemed to think about this for a second, an almost analytical look on her face. “Well, if they were able to kidnap you here, then there are few places that would be harder to get at you from. Perhaps you could get training in how to defend yourself? That would be one way to mitigate threats.”

“My brother is very much against that,” Flayn explained. “He thinks that it is too dangerous.”

“Perhaps you could enroll at the academy?” suggested the house leader. “Or perhaps ask one of the instructors for training?”

An idea began to form in Flayn’s mind at Edelgard’s suggestion, making her hope that she could keep her father from hiding her away again.

\--6th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Ingrid--

With Flayn rescued and Professor Eisner apparently no longer at risk of dying, the monastery felt almost sedate. No more knights running around or places being torn apart. Although from what the healers were saying, there was a new mystery in the form of the professor’s blood being green, but who knows. As for now, Ingrid was sitting in the grass near the classrooms while trying and failing to relax, her mind instead dredging up what she had been avoiding with all the chaos. It felt like everything changed when she went to the tower with the Black Eagles.

First there was the fact that the Holy Relic turned Sylvain’s brother into some sort of monster. How was she supposed to explain that to him? If she just told him, he would think she’s crazy. She might be able to get some of the people who were there to confirm her story, but that still left the having to explain that his family’s lance can turn people into monsters. And not telling him wasn’t an option because HIS FAMILY’S LANCE TURNS PEOPLE INTO MONSTERS. Her inability to make a choice was part of why she had been avoiding him.

It wasn’t the only reason though. The other part of the avoidance was that she wanted to ask him a question but was scared of what the answer may be. So instead she was hiding behind a tree, trying to figure out what to do. Although she learned that she wasn’t as well hidden as she thought when Dorothea found her. “Are you alright over here? I don’t think that a wall is the most interesting thing to look at, but I guess to each their own.”

Ingrid turned to the brunette songstress, shocked by her sudden appearance. “I’m fine! Just, um, thinking. It’s been a hectic few days. Lots of things happening.”

Dorothea sat down next to Ingrid and let out a quiet sigh. “Well, do you want to talk about it? I have been known to have a good ear.”

“I wouldn’t want to bother you with this,” Ingrid replied. “And even if I did, I don’t even know what to ask.”

A quiet hum escaped Dorothea while she thought of what to say. “Well, if you do want to talk, know that I won’t judge you. It’s definitely been a hectic week, especially if it was your first time being exposed to what happened in the tower.”

That caused the knight in training to wonder if Dorothea already knew what she was thinking about. Ingrid’s mind raced with possible excuses but in her rush to come up with an answer she ended up not giving a response at all, and after a minute of silence Dorothea moved to get up. Still unsure of what to do but not wanting to lose this opportunity Ingrid reached out and grabbed hold of Dorothea’s sleeve, causing the songstress to stop her shuffling.

Neither spoke for several minutes before finally Ingrid felt brave enough to let out her question. “How did you know?”

“Know what?” asked Dorothea.

Ingrid looked at Dorothea, trying to keep her courage from fading. “How did you know that you’re… you. Or that you like women.”

Dorothea’s face softened into an understanding look. “Well, I can’t say that my experiences will necessarily help you figure it out, but I’ll share them. I realized that I was a girl when I was putting on a costume for a rehearsal. I saw myself in the mirror and realized that it felt… right. It wasn’t that being a boy felt wrong, just that it didn’t feel like me. Once I took off the dress, I realized just how ‘not me’ I felt.”

As Dorothea shared her insight Ingrid thought about her own feelings, about what felt right. It didn’t seem as simple as the songstress had made it sound though. It was like she had been trying to find something on the bottom of a river and this had kicked up all the silt on the bottom.

“You know,” Dorothea remarked, “If you still want to talk about it, Caspar and Bernie are also good people to talk to. As for being attracted to women, try and figure out what you like about them and compare it to what you like about men. And remember, no matter what you realize or decide, anyone who doesn’t accept you isn’t worth the time of day.”

Those words sparked something within Ingrid, fueling the courage within her. “I don’t know if it’s the same, but I don’t know if I’ve ever felt ‘right’. But I don’t feel ‘wrong’ either. I just feel like I’m… Ingrid.”

When Ingrid finished speaking Dorothea nodded. “I can’t tell you what you are. All that I can do is share my knowledge.”   
  
“That’s more than enough,” Ingrid replied, her chest not feeling tight for the first time in days. “I need to go and talk to someone else though. Thank you for all your help.”

Dorothea simply waved her hand as if shooing away the recognition. “It’s no problem at all. Good luck with whatever you talk to them about. And feel free to talk to me any time. Caspar and Bernie too. Although maybe approach carefully with Bernie. Wouldn’t want to scare them.”

Ingrid stood up and headed to the dorms, hoping to find Sylvain there. As soon as she arrived she knocked on the door, receiving a response almost immediately. “Hold on just a second.”

Muffled shuffling could be heard on the other side of the barrier before Sylvain opened the door. “Ingrid! What brings you here? I kinda thought you might want some space.”

That made her shy a bit, rubbing her arm in embarrassment. “I’m figuring something out. Do you have time to talk?”

“Sure,” Sylvain answered, stepping to the side and opening the door further. Ingrid stepped in, encouraged by the words Dorothea shared with her, before the door closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I like this chapter quite a bit. It focuses on the more hopeful but still painful process of recovery. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think of it in the comments. Your responses, whether criticisms or compliments, Inspire me to keep writing.


	38. The Rough Path to Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the revelation from Edelgard, Ferdinand decides to prepare himself for the tasks ahead. Meanwhile a substitute is found for the Black Eagles, Linhardt and Caspar talk about what is bothering the axe-wielding student, and Bernie finally gets to visit the professor.

\--7th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Hubert--

While Hubert was used to meeting people at odd hours, usually they were scheduled ahead of time and not at his door. Which is why he found it strange that Ferdinand had been rapping his knuckles against the wooden barrier to get his attention a few hours before sunrise. Now the two of them were sitting in Hubert’s room while the orange haired lancer explained his presence. “Hubert, I want to know what my father has done.”

The dark haired mage let out a bemused chuff. “Why, so that you can attempt to defend his deplorable actions? Or perhaps you still believe that Lady Edelgard is lying?”

“No!” exclaimed Ferdinand before realizing the hour. “I believe both her and you. I… I must know what my father has done. So that I can steel myself for the inevitable action against him.”

That answer surprised Hubert. He had thought that the normally aggravating noble would have put up more resistance to this sudden revelation, but instead he had seemingly been convinced almost immediately. His face must have been conveying some of this surprise as Ferdinand continued. “My father has always made sure that I learned the proper procedure of a prime minister. But whenever I asked him to show me how he does things, to see him going through the process, he would deny me. He never gave me any more of an answer than it wasn’t something I had to concern myself with yet. I thought he might be simply trying to not burden me with mundane situations. But as Edelgard told us about his actions everything started making more sense. He did not want me to know the truth of what he was doing. If I am to be one of the people shaping this new world then I must know the full extent of what he has done.”

As Ferdinand spoke Hubert couldn’t help but feel his respect grow for him, although that was a secret he would take to his grave. “Very well. We can begin with the territory of Hrym. But not tonight. I will have to gather the documents from where I keep them, and that cannot be done at this hour. Return tomorrow after dinner and we can discuss it then.”

Ferdinand nodded in understanding. “I shall meet with you again then. Have a good night, Hubert.”

Almost immediately Ferdinand was gone, leaving Hubert to wonder why this feeling of warmth in his chest felt so familiar.

\--8th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Even though Byleth and Professor Casagranda were still recovering nobody had heard anything about classes being cancelled, so as the bells rang signalling the start of class they found themself with the other Black Eagles in their classroom. For several minutes everyone sat staring at the door, the room filled with tense anticipation of who, if anyone, would walk through. They got their answer as the door whipped open to reveal a hecticly frazzled Jeralt.

The gruff man hurried to the desk at the head of the class, placing a stack of papers on it before turning around to face the students. “Sorry for the wait. Kid had notes all over the place. Organization never was her strong suit. Anyway, I’ll be taking over for By until she’s able to teach again.” Jeralt looked out at the students as if waiting for something, but when nothing happened he continued. “Well, let’s get started then.”

While Edelgard wouldn’t call the lesson a failure, it was obvious that it was not going as smoothly as Byleth’s went. The house leader couldn’t be certain if it was Jeralt’s lack of experience teaching or the looming worry that filled the room, but she did know for sure that her thoughts were on her professor for the majority of the time. So much so that the ringing of the bell that signalled midday, and therefore lunch, startled her, causing her to jump in her seat.

Jeralt seemed to at least be aware of it, ending the lecture almost immediately. “Well, I’ll let you all get to your grub. If you have any questions, just bring’em to me. Other than that you’re dismissed. Except for you, Hresvelg.”

Edelgard’s blood went cold at that. Talking with Byleth’s father had been something she knew was inevitable but had desperately hoped would be put off indefinitely. While the others made their way out of the classroom the former mercenary trailed behind them, closing the doors once they had all left. After that was done he made his way back up to the front of the room, pulling up a chair and sitting across the desk from Edelgard. She couldn’t raise her head to look at him though, instead staring at the desk while her mind thought of all the things he might have to say to the one who caused his daughter to be in such a perilous state. Instead of anything she had thought of though Edelgard was instead met with something completely unexpected. “You doing alright, kiddo?”

The princess’s head snapped up to look at the man, but rather than an expression of hate or anger she saw the same look of concern on his face that she had seen on Byleth’s time and time again. That look that she felt so undeserving of after what she had failed to do. “How can you ask me that. How can you care about the person who left your daughter in such a state. It’s my fault that Byleth is laying in the infirmary, unconscious and injured.”

As he heard this Jeralt’s face shifted from concerned to confused. “What are you talking about? Just because you didn’t go with them doesn’t make it your fault.”

“That’s not it,” Edelgard replied. She hadn’t expected to have this conversation once this week, let alone twice. “The people who took Flayn. I’m forced to work for them. And I tried to make the knight that wounded Byleth retreat, but I was too late. That’s why she’s injured. My inability to act in time.” She waited for the mercenary’s face to change, but once again she was surprised when it simply returned to concern.

While Edelgard was still surprised Jeralt stood up, walking around the desk before kneeling next to the student. Just as she was about to ask him what he was doing he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. “I obviously don’t know all of what’s going on. To be honest I tend to not know much of what’s going on. But I do know By. And I know that if she had wanted to get out of the way of whatever came at her she would have. It was her choice to stand her ground. And it wasn’t your fault that she got hurt.”

Jeralt continued speaking, but all of it was lost on Edelgard. It had been so long since anyone had embraced her like this. Not as a friend or as a partner, but as a parent. All her mind could conjure from memories were fuzzy images that she assumed were her father and mother. After she had come back from TWSITD’s experimentation her father had been so distant. She understood why. She was a living reminder of his failures and his losses. But understanding was different than accepting. Slowly Edelgard’s arms found their way to Jeralt’s back as, for the second time since Byleth was injured she found herself sobbing.

The two sat there until Edelgard had no more tears to shed, Jeralt rubbing her back and whispering soft reassurances into her ear as she cried into his shoulder. A while after her tears had stopped Edelgard pulled back from Jeralt, her eyes still red and unwilling to trust her voice. Thankfully she wasn’t the one who spoke.

“I want you to do me a favor,” the gruff knight explained. “I want you to go and keep an eye on By for me, ok? Make sure she doesn’t get lonely or anything. Maybe water those flowers you brought her. I’ll come and check on you once the lesson is over.” Edelgard made to protest, but Jeralt cut her off. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. You look like you need this just as much as she does.” Edelgard could do little more than nod at that, wiping her eyes as she headed out of the room. 

\--10th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Linhardt--

Classes were over for the day and for the first time since they left for the tower at the end of the last month Linhardt had managed to convince Caspar to take a day off. The two of them were in Linhardt’s room with the healer trying to enjoy lying with his boyfriend, but unfortunately Caspar was ruining it with his terrible mood. He had been acting sour since Edelgard had told them about what had happened to her and what she was planning. The healer had been hoping that Caspar would figure things out on his own, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen. So as the blue haired boy went to stand up, probably to pace for the third time, Linhardt wrapped his arms around Caspar’s waist, acting as dead weight to keep him in place.

“What are you doing, Lin?” Caspar asked as he struggled to get to his feet.

Linhardt pulled back, dragging Caspar down onto the bed again. “Pacing isn’t going to help. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

The fighter’s tiffany hair filled Linhardt’s vision while he struggled, but eventually he relented. “It’s just… those people Edelgard’s working with. Why can’t we just fight them? We know what they’re doing! And we know who’s involved. And we’re just supposed to wait? I hate it!”

“What would we be able to do if we tried to fight them?” countered Linhardt. “Every time we’ve encountered someone who served them the professor has had to fight them. And both times she’s been hurt. Just rushing in will add us to the numbers of their victims. If you want to fight them, you have to not only get stronger, but also fight smarter.”   
  
Caspar seemed to deflate at that. “I know.” For a while the two layed there in silence, Caspar thinking of how to put his words out there and Linhardt content to wait. “I just feel like we’re so far from being able to fight them.”

Linhardt let out an understanding huff against Caspar’s back. “Well I’m sure if you asked the others they would help you train. But that’s for later. You need to rest too.” With that he wrapped his arms tighter around Caspar’s waist, enjoying the feeling of being pressed against each other. Caspar seemed to settle down a bit too, actually relaxing for the first time all day. It didn’t take long for Linhardt to fall asleep, his dreams filled with Caspar.

\--11th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Bernie--

The sun had barely risen as Bernie slipped up the stairs to the second floor of the reception hall. They were hoping to go and visit the professor, as every other time they had tried to go other people had been there. But now nobody would be there and they could see the professor in peace. Even though the professor probably wouldn’t be awake. But it would be nice to talk to her. Or at her. Really it was a confusing situation, but Bernie thought it would be a good thing to do.

Those plans were brought to a halt when the sounds of conversation came through the infirmary door however. Bernie’s first instinct was to run, but then they realized that would mean leaving the professor alone with whoever was in the room. So instead they decided to sneak towards the door, hoping to learn what the people were talking about. They sidled towards the door, getting right up next to it before the voices were understandable.

“She looks so small,” a voice that was straining to stay quiet remarked.

“I mean, compared to you everyone is, B” another voice said. This one was quieter and tamer. 

“To think that this woman who was laid low by a single strike could stop a monstrous beast with her bare hands.” This voice almost sounded excited and oddly reminded Bernie of Ferdinand. 

“Stop babbling, you three,” another voice chimed in, this one reminding the archer of something that they couldn’t quite place.

But that could be dealt with later. Right now Bernie had to make sure that the professor was alright. As the voices continued Bernie reached for the doorknob to the infirmary, slowly turning it so as to not make a sound. That was going well right up until the door opened with their hand still on the handle, bringing them suddenly face to face with the four intruders. “Aaugh! What are you doing here with the professor?!”

The one at the front, a purple haired guy who looked oddly familiar, gave the group’s reply. “We’re just visiting. We owe her quite a bit, so it felt appropriate to make sure she’s alright. What are you doing here? Sneaking around all alone while everyone else is asleep?”

Bernie wanted to run, but knew that if they did the professor would be alone. No, they had to stand their ground. “I- I’m here to check up on the professor. My professor!”

“Well,” the familiar looking one replied, “we’ll let you get on with your visit. Although you’ll probably see us around if you’re one of her students. We’re gonna stay around until she’s back on her feet at least.”

With that the group came out of the room. All of them were people Bernie had never seen before, but before they could get a good look at the group the purple haired archer ran into the infirmary, closing the door behind them and taking several deep breaths. Once they had gathered themself, they walked over to the curtained off partition, slipping through the fabric. This was the first time that Bernie had seen the professor since she got hurt, and compared to that the professor looked better at least. Her face wasn’t as pale, and even Bernie knew that was a good sign.

Next to the professor’s bed there was a chair and with no one else to claim it, Bernie sat down in it. “Professor, I know you’re busy recovering, but you have to wake up soon. Everyone seems distracted without you. Even your father. He’s been teaching your class while you’re here, but even with your notes he struggles. It kinda reminds me of when you first started teaching.”

Bernie quieted down after that, looking down at their hands. As they did so though a box just barely sticking out from under the bed caught their attention. They pulled it out and saw the professor’s clothes, or what was left of them anyway. In addition to the large slice from the attack there were other ones, probably made to get her out of them while unconscious. Green blood had dried on them as well, leaving a large stain wrapping around one side. Looking at the ruined garments gave Bernie an idea, though. They quickly grabbed the iconic jacket, bundling it up around itself before holding it close.

“I’ll be sure to bring this back, professor!” remarked Bernie as they stood up and snuck out of the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, it's an update! Which have actually been coming pretty quick. Honestly I love writing this story. Hope y'all love reading it! I wonder when Byleth will wake up. She's been asleep for what, 3 chapters now? Sothis would probably call her lazy. Although the goddess does like her rest. Anyways, let me know how you feel about this chapter, whether it's compliments, criticism, or your guess about what will happen next!


	39. Preparation and Awakening

\--13th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Shamir--

Even with things settling down from Flayn’s attempted kidnapping Shamir had noticed that one knight in particular had been continuing to burn the candle at both ends. Hoping to learn why, the archer had taken her free day to try and find the woman in question. It didn’t take long as she found her at the training grounds, attacking a dummy as if its very existence was an offense. “The last time I saw you this angry was when that scummy guy tried to get handsy with you at the bar. What’s got you riled up this time.”

Catherine’s assault hesitated for a second. “Everything’s fine. I don’t know what. Gives. You. Any. Other! Idea!” As she said this her strikes got more aggressive, punctuating her words with the last one cleaving the dummy in two. “Okay. I may be a little angry.”

“Just a little,” Shamir ribbed. “But why?”

A heavy sigh escaped Catherine’s lips as she put her sword away. “Because I messed up. I thought I had everything figured out about Eisner, but then it turns out everything is wrong AND she one upped me once again.”

Shamir walked over to the ruined dummy, picking up the top half. “I don’t get your fixation on her. Just because the archbishop likes her? The archbishop likes plenty of people.”

“Yeah,” admitted the blonde knight. “But most people don’t spend hours chatting with her multiple times a week. And then there was the whole thing with the Crests last week. I was so sure that she had something to do with what happened because it felt just like her Crest. But then the archbishop says it was just some backlash from a spell before retreating to solitude.”  
  
“That still doesn’t explain how she ‘one upped you’,” replied the archer. “Because you were wrong?”

Picking up the other half of the dummy, Catherine looked at it as if it had the answers to all her questions. “No. It’s because she figured out that Jeritza was the one who kidnapped Flayn while I was wondering why he had skipped our sparring session. She had all the answers and had rescued Flayn before I had even thought that it might be him.”

“So?” Shamir asked. “Just because she knew something you didn’t? And it didn’t seem to help her that much. She still hasn’t woken up from that wound she took.”

“She took that wound on purpose,” answered Catherine, prompting a curious look from Shamir. “I heard some of her students talking when they brought her to the infirmary. She stepped in front of one of her students to take that blow. Which should have killed anyone. So either she was willing to die, or she knew it wouldn’t kill her. And that green blood. Every time there’s something that gives an answer it feels like it leaves twice as many questions.”

The dark haired archer seemed to ponder that last bit of information. “You could always just ask her. Have you tried that? Instead of being your usual bravado-filled self?”

As she said that a smirk appeared on Shamir’s face, prompting Catherine to toss the other half of the dummy to her. “I already asked her once. Although I may have come off as a little… arrogant.”

“You?” Shamir taunted dryly. “Never.”

Catherine looked at the archer, glad that there was someone here who knew how to get past her defenses. “Fine. I’ll try to be nice and ask her once she wakes up.”

\--14th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Mercedes--

Taking advantage of the lack of a mission and the relative calm compared to last weekend Mercedes and Annette had decided to go into town for a bit of shopping. After buying some ingredients for something that Annette wanted to try making, Mercedes had led the two of them to the stall she frequented for embroidery supplies. As they drew closer though something an unusual sight caught her eye. Bernadetta, the recluse of the Black Eagles, was fidgeting in front of the stand. “Oh, Bernie, what are you going to do? You didn’t think about this at all! Would the professor just want a replacement? But they don’t have the right material. What other fabric would she want?”

The archer was so focused on her dilemma she didn’t realize Mercedes had walked up beside her. “Hello Bernadetta! Are you just browsing or are you looking for something particular?” 

Suddenly having her name called out caused the purple haired girl to jump, her hands flailing. “AH! Um, I, uh, I’m sorry for being in your way!”

“You’re not in our way!” Annette replied. “I didn’t know you were the creative type! What are you looking for?”

Bernadetta scrunched up as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible. “Um, the professor’s jacket. It got cut up after she was injured. So I’m trying to make her a replacement.”

Mercedes thought back to when she was working to heal the professor. They had needed to properly treat her wounds, but they couldn’t keep healing her while shuffling her around to undress her so in the end most of her garments were cut off or soaked with blood. “I remember that. There wasn’t much left once they got it off of her. But you were muttering something about the material?”

As the subject shifted to fabric Bernadetta relaxed a little. “The jacket was made of a thick cloth, but they don’t have it in a similar color. But I don’t know what to replace it with.”

The blonde healer took a second to think, trying to recall the little she knew about the professor. “Well, blues and greens would look good on her. Do you know what colors she likes?”

“I don’t,” the archer sadly admitted. “She wears mostly black, though.”

“The Black Eagles house color is red,” added Annette. “So you could use that as inspiration too! If she wears it into battle then a dark green might help her hide, though? But a dark blue would work with her hair. So many options!”

Annette’s excitement at the idea was cute, but Mercedes could see that it was causing Bernadetta to retreat back into herself. “Annette, it’s Bernadetta’s choice, so we shouldn’t pressure her. Maybe you could ask other for what they know about the professor?”  
  
Bernadetta returned to her only slightly anxious state as Mercedes wrangled Annette. “But I don’t know when she’ll wake up, and I want to have it ready for her by then! That means I need to get started as soon as possible.”

“Well, you could buy different colors and then find out which one she’ll like the most,” suggested Mercedes. “The fabric wouldn’t go to waste if you didn’t use it for this project. And I’m sure that the professor will like it no matter what.”

With that suggestion Bernadetta looked at Mercedes as if she had just done the impossible. “I didn’t even think of that! Stupid Bernie! Of course you didn’t. You aren’t smart enough to think of that.” While she said these things the archer also began to rap her knuckles against her head, causing Annette and Mercedes to look at eachother with confused expressions.

Annette stepped forward first, trying to grab hold of Bernadetta’s arms to stop her from hitting herself more. “Hey, don’t do that! You aren’t stupid just because you didn’t think of somthing.”

“She’s right,” Mercedes added. “You can’t be expected to do everything alone, so you really shouldn’t beat yourself up over not being able to do something. I’m sure your professor and classmates would agree!”

Bernadetta looked at the other two, trembling slightly. “I- I guess.”

A small smile spread across the healer’s face at that. “How about we get the fabric, and then we’ll help you with the jacket so it can be done for your professor before she wakes up?”

“That’s a great idea, Mercie!” exclaimed Annette, startling Bernadetta once again. “I’m sure that working together we’ll be able to do some wonderful work.”

“I wouldn’t want to take you away from anything else,” Bernadetta quietly replied. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”

Annette vigorously shook her head. “We have some baking to try, but that can wait! Or we could try it and then bring you some while we work!”

“You can say no, though,” commented Mercedes. “We don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

The purple haired girl pondered that for a second while looking between the two. “O-okay. It will make it easier with more people working on it.” With that decided Bernadetta bought the suggested colors of fabric before the three departed back to Garreg Mach.

\--14th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Bernie--

After separating from Mercedes and Annette as they passed the dining hall Bernie saw someone was waiting by their door. Slowing their approach so they could see who it was without being spotted a wave of relief flowed through Bernie as they realized it was Ingrid, glad it wasn’t one of those strange people from the infirmary.

That relief only lasted for a few seconds as Ingrid caught sight of them, waving to them. “Bernie! Just who I wanted to talk to. Do you have a bit of free time?”

Bernie sputtered for a second before trying to actually get some words out. “I - uh - um I guess? I need to get some things ready for later though.”

“Oh,” Ingrid replied. “Could we talk while you do that? It’s just, Dorothea told me I should speak with you for some advice.”

The thought of Dorothea putting trust in Bernie made them think that it must be important. “Of course! I- I just don’t know if I’ll be much help.”

Ingrid reached out to put her hand on Bernie’s shoulder, stopping when they flinched. “Sorry. I’m sure that you’ll be able to help me at least a little.” The two stood there for a bit before Ingrid cleared her throat. “So shall we go inside?”

“Oh! Right!” Bernie exclaimed, quickly opening the door and letting them both into the small but organized room. They put down the fabric next to the different parts of the professor’s ruined jacket before turning back to Ingrid. “Um, so what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Now it was Ingrid’s turn to sputter an attempt at an answer. “Um, well, I was hoping you could tell me about yourself. Specifically how you know you aren’t a girl.”

Of all the things they could have been asked about, this one surprised Bernie. “I… don’t know. I’m just me. Just Bernie. I never liked it when people called me a girl. But I don’t like being called a boy either. Those feel… wrong. Nobody listens to little Bernie though, so I just put up with it.”

“Well that’s not fair,” Ingrid replied. “You shouldn’t have to go through that.”

Bernie simply shrugged as they started unrolling fabric and comparing it to the pieces of jacket. “Most people don’t understand. I tried telling my parents and they didn’t really understand. The only other people I told were my classmates. But enough about that. Do you have anything else you want to ask?”

The purple haired archer could feel Ingrid’s eyes on their back as they pretended to work with the fabric. Thankfully it didn’t take long for the blonde student to respond. “So you just didn’t feel like a girl? It’s that simple?”

“The professor told me that ‘wanting to be yourself isn’t stupid’,” answered Bernie.” And she helped me realize that it really can be that simple.”

Bernie turned around and looked at Ingrid, who seemed confused by those words. Before the worry that their explanation hadn’t been enough could sink in however her expression changed to one of contemplation. “Thanks. I’ll let you get back to whatever you were planning to do.” With that she left, closing the door on her way out and leaving Bernie alone. 

As they turned back to their work a few quiet words left their lips. “Thank you for teaching me how to be brave, professor.”

\--5th(?) of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

After finally failing to stay conscious because of her wound, Byleth now found herself in some kind of darkness. It felt familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. Maybe it was because of the time she had spent in Sothis’s ‘Domain’ as she called it. But that felt comfortable. This was the opposite. And Sothis was nowhere to be found. Just seconds ago she had been telling her off for once more risking her life when they were unable to turn back time. Well, more accurately she was chiding her for throwing herself on a blade again. 

As she thought about Sothis’s remark the reason why this darkness felt familiar came to her, sending waves of cold fear though her. It was the same murky blackness that she had felt in the memory at Zanado. She had to get out of here. Wherever here was. It wasn’t safe. She had to move. Why wouldn’t her body move?! Just move!

Suddenly through her muddled senses Byleth was aware of someone else entering the room. All of her instincts were screaming at her to get out of there. To move. To fight back. Byleth tried to focus on moving, putting all of her willpower into just getting her body to respond to her. As if aware of her intent, the mysterious person began to rush towards her, sending her fear spiking. The instant they got close it was like all of the heavy darkness surrounding her was gone and she could move, immediately letting her lash out towards the figure.

Whoever it was obviously wasn’t expecting it as they didn’t react before being thrown away. Acting on instinct Byleth began to get up before being made painfully aware of her injury. Looking down she still couldn’t see much, but the darkness wasn’t the same as the one before.

“It’s dark,” Sothis remarked, popping into Byleth’s view. “But does that mean it’s night or are we underground?”

Byleth brought her hand to her wound, trying to protect it. “I don’t know, but we can’t wait for answers.”

Stumbling through the dark while her eyes slowly began to adjust, the professor found a door, opening it and seeing the dimly lit corridor of the reception hall in Garreg Mach. Nobody was around, which combined with the darkness of the previous room let Byleth know that it was sometime in the night.

Sothis floated into view, taking in the surroundings as well. “We must have been in the infirmary. But then who was in the room with us?”

“It doesn’t matter,” replied Byleth as she limped down the hallway, leaning against the wall for support as she headed to her father’s office. “Either he’ll be here or there’ll be a weapon.” 

Reaching the door she made to open it but in doing so her weight shifted unexpectedly, causing her to fall through the opening with a clatter. As pain shot through her side Byleth bit her lip to keep quiet, although apparently that wasn’t needed as the sound of her hitting the ground caused Jeralt to shoot up from the couch. “What the- Byleth?!”

All she could do while keeping from screaming in pain was groan, hoping that was enough of a hint to let her father know she needed help. Within seconds he was by her side, and rolling her over carefully. “Byleth, what in the world are you doing out in the hallway? Aww fuck, it looks like your wound tore open. I’m gonna go get a healer. You keep pressure on it.”

As her father was about to get up to find help Byleth grabbed his wrist. “Someone… in… infirmary,” she managed to get out through gritted teeth.

“That can wait,” Jeralt replied. “I’m not gonna risk losing you again. I’ll go get help. Has to be someone around here who can heal.”

With that the man stood up and ran out of the room, the sound of yelling echoing down the hallway. While Byleth focused on keeping her hands on the now wet injury she didn’t notice the person slip out of the infirmary and head down the hall in the opposite direction of her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! For once it's not Edelgard getting traumatized! Also, Mercedes and Annette make their appearance in the fic. Although Mercedes has already appeared in the side stories. I wonder when we'll get to actually give some attention to the other classes? Probably soon! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as usual let me know what you think or if I made some mistake that I missed when I typed this up.


	40. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard's fears return when she learns of an ominously worded note on the door to the Black Eagles classroom and Jeralt confronts Rhea about a betrayal of trust.

\--15th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

As the sun rose on Garreg Mach Edelgard found herself meandering through her morning routine. It had been over a week since Byleth had been injured and no updates on her condition had been observed. This past weekend had been particularly bad as even with the other Black Eagles, her friends, reassuring her it wasn’t her fault, those thoughts just kept echoing in her mind relentlessly. Thankfully distraction came in the form of an expected knock at her door.

“Lady Edelgard,” Hubert’s voice called from the other side of the door. “Are you ready to head to class?”

Edelgard grabbed her gloves as she stood up from her desk. “Just a moment.” As she pulled on the white gloves she thought back to the kiss that Byleth had placed on the palm of the glove during the last time they had spent alone. Knowing that down this trail of thoughts lay only more pain, for the moment she put it away in her mind and pulled on the white fabric. The last thing she did was gathering up her books and supplies before opening the door. “Let’s head over.”

The pair silently made their way out of the dorms, walking past several groups of students who were still relaxing before their day truly began. As they made their way into the courtyard in front of the classrooms Edelgard noticed a small group of people around the Black Eagles doors. As they got closer, Hubert seemed to notice something at the door over the crowd.

“What is it?” Edelgard asked, unable to see over the crowd.

Hubert kept peering over the heads of the others while he talked. “Some kind of notice, I suspect. I shall go investigate.”

While Hubert made his way through the crowd, obviously willing to manhandle the others to get through, Edelgard tried a different method, turning to one of the people who seemed to be leaving the crowd. “Would you mind telling me what is going on?”

The young man startled at Edelgard’s question, but after a second he replied. “Oh, it’s just a notice from the person they have teaching in the professor’s stead. It says that class is canceled for the day due to personal reasons.”

As the student said ‘personal reasons’ Edelgard knew that it had to do with Byleth. There would be no other reason for Captain Eisner to use personal reasons. With that the worst case began to run through Edelgard’s mind, filling it with images of Byleth dead because of her. Before the young man could say any more, the sound of shattering glass filled the air as Edelgard dropped her school supplies before bolting towards the reception hall in a full sprint. The thought of the strange looks or the ruined books didn’t even enter her mind as it was filled only with worry. She dashed into the stairwell, bounding up the steps three at a time, before continuing her sprint towards the infirmary. The instant she arrived at the door she threw it open, the hinges groaning with the sudden stress. 

Inside in infirmary her worst fears were subdued as the eyes of Professor Cassagranda, Captain Eisner, and most importantly Byleth were all on her. Before anyone could ask her what was going on she ran to Byleth’s side and fell down beside her bed. “You aren’t dead. I’m so glad you aren’t dead.”

Byleth didn’t sit up, but she did place her hand onto Edelgard’s shoulder. “Why did you think I was dead?”

“Because the note your father left just said that he was cancelling class for ‘personal reasons’,” replied Edelgard. “And you’re the only thing he has that fits that description as far as I know of.”

“I’ll admit,” Jeralt remarked as he rubbed the back of his head, “now that I think about it, that probably wasn’t the best way to put it.”

The blue haired woman started to laugh at that before being cut short as her laughter turned to pained groaning. “Oh, that hurts. Laughing hurts.” 

Professor Cassagranda slowly got up at that, making her way over to the bed. “Yes, well perhaps it wouldn’t if you hadn’t torn yourself open this morning.” As she chided Byleth she pulled back the sheets and lifted the loose shirt Byleth was in, pressing a faintly glowing hand to the raw looking wound. “I swear, only you would be able to rip yourself apart the instant you wake up.”

The princess looked back to Byleth at that remark. “What happened?”

“I could have sworn that someone was in the room with me,” Byleth answered. “They approached me, and as soon as I could I lashed out at them. I could have sworn I threw them over there, but when someone came in to check after I got patched up in my father’s office, no one was there.” As she spoke Byleth pointed towards the wall corner that was shared by the corridor and the Captain’s office.

While the others seemed all too willing it was just the remnants of a nightmare, Edelgard knew from experience just how real those shadowy figures could be. But that was a topic for later. Now was a time to be relieved that she was alright. “Something must have spooked you then. But if whatever it was is gone, then there’s no need to worry about it now. How long are you expected to be bedridden for, professor?”

Instead of Byleth answering, Professor Cassagranda interjected instead. “With regular healing sessions, she should be up and about in a week or so. But that doesn’t mean she should push herself. Even once she’s mobile I don’t want her doing anything strenuous. That means no lifting heavy objects, no training, and definitely no competing in the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion. Which I guess means that no professors are fighting this year.”

“Battle of the Eagle and the Lion?” Byleth questioned as the songstress turned physician finished tending to her injury. “What’s that?”

“It’s similar to the mock battle from several months ago, but on a much larger scale,” explained Edelgard. “Battalions from the knights are given to each class so that they can demonstrate their ability in a full scale battle. It takes place in Gronder, which is in the Empire, and is also used to commemorate the original Battle of the Eagle and the Lion, which occurred during the Kingdom’s war for independence.”

The physician hummed in agreement at that. “But since it’s at the end of next month, I’m not going to clear you for it. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Don’t want to bring you back as a corpse after putting so much work into getting you back on your feet.”

At those words Byleth tensed, almost as if she had just felt a chill or something. “Can I ask you two to give my dad and I the room for a bit? I need to talk to him about something.”

Edelgard gave a questioning look to Byleth but got to her feet. As she rose up the former songstress shrugged. “Fine, but you better not try to get up. I don’t want to have to patch you up again.”

With that the two women made their way out of the infirmary, the professor closing the door behind them. Edelgard stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do while Professor Cassagranda leaned against the wall, seemingly content to wait silently before she turned her head to the princess. “So, how long have you been pining for the Eisner?”

That simple question is all it takes to turn Edelgard into a sputtering mess. “Uh, I, h-how did you kn- I mean what do you mean?”

The brunette songstress lets out a mirthful chuckle at Edelgard’s expense before she gives her answer. “First of all, I spent most of my life in theatre, so I know a gay crisis when I see one. Second, you aren’t the first person I’ve seen who’s got the hots for their teacher. Besides, no one who wasn’t invested in someone would sprint into the infirmary and nearly take the door of it’s hinges out of worry. So how long? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Edelgard found it hard to believe that the woman known for being a gossip when she got drunk would keep her secret. Judging by the look the physician was giving her, that much was clear from her expression anyways. “Fine, I won’t bother you about it. But if you ever want advice, know that my door is always open.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Edelgard replied, leaving the two of them in silence until Hubert came hustling around the corner.

“Lady Edelgard,” he called out as he carried a stack of books, which included her own now ink stained texts. “You gave me quite the scare when you were suddenly missing with your things scattered on the ground. Thankfully your rapid departure was noted by several people, so my fears were quickly assuaged.”

At that Professor Cassagranda gave Edelgard a knowing look only to get a glare in reply.

“I assume that since you do not seem distressed the professor is well?” Hubert asked.

Now it was Hubert’s turn to earn a glare from Edelgard. “Is it really that obvious?”

Before she got an answer the door was thrown open once more, an obviously enraged Jeralt charged out of the room. “I’ll be back,” he grumbled as he pounded down the hallway.

Immediately the three who were left in the hallway filtered back into the infirmary to see Byleth staring at the flowers next to her. “I told him about my mom.”

While Hubert and Manuela both looked at her with confused looks, Edelgard understood why now why Jeralt had stormed away. Learning that your wife’s body was hidden away and you had been believing a lie for 20 years was no doubt going to fill someone with anger.

\--15th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Jeralt--

Angry would be an understatement. Over the many decades he had known Rhea, Jeralt had built up trust with her and watched as that trust had decayed. But this had shattered it completely. Now he was just furious.

“RHEA!” he screamed as he pounded on the door at the top of the stairs to the third floor. “Open up!”

Before the captain could say any more the wooden door slid open, revealing Seteth. “What are-” was all he managed to get out before Jeralt pushed past him into the third floor. On his left was an open door with Flayn peeking out of it, and on the right was another open door, presumably Seteth’s. That left only the one at the end of the hall.

Jeralt charged forth before slamming his fist into the door. “Come out here Rhea!”

Not deterred by the captain’s actions, Seteth approached Jeralt and tried to pull him back from the door. “What are you doing? Explain your actions at once!”

“This doesn’t concern you, Seteth,” replied Jeralt, simply shrugging off the attempt.

“I think it does, seeing as you came bursting in here yelling,” Seteth remarked. “Now what is going on?”

Jeralt ignored him, pounding on the door and shouting for Rhea to come out until Seteth tried once more to pull him back, this time getting shoved to the ground. “I want to know why she hid my wife’s body away and faked her burial! That’s what she has to answer me!”

Seteth’s expression suddenly changed to one of bewilderment, but before he could ask for an explanation the door behind Jeralt opened.

“What is going on out here?” a dressed down Rhea asked.

Immediately Jeralt turned around to face the archbishop. “Where’s Sitri?”

Rhea’s face paled at that question. “Come in, Jeralt. We have much to discuss.”

The blonde man stepped through the doorway, never taking his eyes off of Rhea. As she closed the door, blocking the confused Seteth and Flayn from view, he spoke up. “Where is she?”

“Currently she’s in the mausoleum,” Rhea supplied. “It felt the most fitting place for her to be while I decided what to do with her.”

Jeralt felt his fury bloom at that. “And you didn’t think that concerned Byleth or me?! That we weren’t necessary for that decision?! After lying to us for so long?!”

Rhea’s face softened a little at that as she looked away from him. “That’s not true. I-”

Jeralt didn’t give her a chance to continue. “Then what, Rhea?! Did you think we weren’t important enough to be considered? That we didn’t matter?”

“YOU TWO DO MATTER!” Rhea cried, her face a mix of anguish and guilt. Jeralt staggered back at the sudden explosion of emotion from the woman. “I just wanted to let Byl- your daughter recover first. Then I would let you two decide what you wanted. She’s already made it clear that she hates me. She has good reason to. I’ve done so much wrong. But I’m going to make it right. And the first step to that is acknowledging my mistakes. So I wanted to talk to the two of you, and ask what you wanted done with Sitri’s body.”

At this admission Jeralt looked at the woman who was the cause of his fury. From the way she was dressed he had assumed that he had simply come before she had gotten ready for the day. But it was more than that. She looked drained. There were dark bags under her eyes and even now she wasn’t able to look him in the eyes. Then there was the fact that she hadn’t been seeing people in the audience chamber since whatever happened with Byleth. This led him to wonder if she had just been holding up here since then.

“Fine,” Jeralt said, his gruff voice a bit calmer now. “But you had better come see us about it quickly. It’s the least you can do.” Before Rhea could respond he turned around and opened the door, making his way back to his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this had some ups and downs. And before anyone gets on me for Rhea, she was never going to be the villain of this fic. She's too good of a character to use like that. Especially with the fact that she's basically a mirror for Edelgard. Speaking of Edelgard, she isn't getting the emotional stuffing beaten out of her this chapter. Hopefully that lasts for a while. Anyways, I'll let y'all get back to whatever it was you were doing. But feel free to let me know what you think of this chapter, and I'll see you next update.


	41. Happiness and Ill Omens.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth gets to spend some time with her students, Flayn makes a request, and two mysterious figures enter the story.

\--15th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Shortly after walking back into the infirmary Edelgard sent Hubert off to let the others know that Byleth was awake. Given how worried she had looked when she had rushed in, she probably didn’t want the others to come to the same conclusion she had. This left only Byleth, Edelgard, and Manuela in the room. As the physician went back to her desk looking over paperwork Edelgard went and took the seat that Jeralt had been in before he left.

“Professor,” whispered Edelgard, glancing over at Manuela. “About the person last night. Unless it was someone who has a grudge against you, I think it may have been one of those who slither.”

Byleth was about to sit up when she remembered how much that hurt this morning. Instead she settled for simply craning her neck. “You think so?”

The white haired princess nodded. “They are the only group I know of that works within the monastery aside from the church itself. And I know from experience they are not above acting in the dark.”

It made sense as Byleth thought about it. She was an oddity to most, and assuming what Rhea had first told her when they discussed her blood was true then perhaps that was what they were after. If they had wanted her dead then it would have been easy enough to do while she slept, so what else could they want? She would have to make time to ponder that later as the door flew open, causing Edelgard to lurch away from her bent over position.

“Professor!” Dorothea called out as she charged into the infirmary, immediately followed by Petra and Bernie. “We’ve all been so worried about you!”

The three students immediately found their way to Byleth’s bedside with Petra standing behind the other two. “It is having truth, professor. Your wound was very severe. You will be having my apologies for causing you such injury.” 

Byleth could see the worry in all of their faces, as well as the guilt that was clear in Petra’s expression. “It’s not your fault. It’s none of your faults. I chose to step in front of that attack. Partially because I knew that I had better odds of survival and partly because I am your teacher. It’s my responsibility to make sure you all get out of whatever situation I bring you into.” As she said this she looked over to Edelgard, trying to make sure that she understood this went for her as well.

A thick silence filled the room at that, only to be broken by Bernie’s timid voice. “Wh- when are you coming back professor? To teaching, I mean. It’s not that your father isn’t nice, it’s just that he, well… he isn’t very good at teaching.”

Sothis’s familiar cackle rang out at that, causing Byleth to smile. “They made your father a teacher? After seeing how he taught you, I almost feel sorry for your students.”

Byleth began to chuckle as well, only to wince instead. “He can’t be as bad as I was when I first became your teacher.”

Dorothea let out a hum at that. “He’s pretty bad, professor. He’s basically just been taking us to the training ground to spar. Linhardt has had to start showing up to class after lunch just to get his naps in.”

The professor barely kept herself from laughing again before turning to Bernie. “To answer your question, I’ll have to rest up for at least another week before Manuela will let me out of here.” At that the physician called out, confirming that remark. “But once I’m not stuck on bed rest I’ll be back for lectures. I won’t be able to spar for a while though, so the-”

Before Byleth could finish speaking a green haired blur ran into the room before coming to a halt next to Edelgard. “Professor!” Flayn exclaimed before taking several heavy breaths. “I’m glad to see that you’re awake! And although it may be a bit improper, I have a request to make of you.”

The mention of a request seemed to pique everyone’s interest, especially Byleth’s. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be right now, but go ahead and ask. The worst I can do is say no.”

Flayn nodded excitedly at that answer. “Professor, I’d like to join your class.”

Immediately everyone’s faces changed to shock, save for Edelgard’s, who’s expression was much more subdued. Byleth stored that little bit of information away before responding however. “I don’t have an issue with it, but my dad is the one teaching my class right now. So it’s probably better if you wait until I return to teaching before joining.”

The blue haired woman looked at Flayn for a second before deciding to ask the question on her mind. “What brought this on though? And why my class? You’d be able to join one of the other ones immediately.”

“To be honest,” Flayn began, looking at the floor, “it’s because not only are you the one I know best, but you’re also the one that is most likely to convince my brother to not take me away out of fear of me being kidnapped again.”

“Seteth wants to leave Garreg Mach?” Dorothea asked. “I get being afraid, but that seems a little extreme. Especially with the Knights here.”

Once again Flayn nodded. “That’s why I hope to convince him to let me stay. I’ve met so many nice people here and I don’t want to go back to being kept away from the world.”

Sothis gave the girl a sympathetic look at those words. “You understand how she feels, don’t you? You have to do something to help her.”

Byleth did indeed know how that felt. She’d been kept in the mercenary camps during most of her childhood and even then she was isolated from the other mercenaries because of the fact she was their boss’s daughter. “I’ll do my best to convince him. And as soon as Manuella clears me for teaching again we can get started.”

Flayn’s face exploded into a smile. “Thank you, professor! I’ll be sure to do everything I can to help with this endeavor.” Once she said that the green haired girl ran out of the room, probably to go and speak with Seteth about the situation. 

Once Flayn had departed Byleth turned back to her students but before she could say anything the door opened again. Her father walked through it again, looking considerably less furious than when he left. On his shoulder however was an unconscious armored figure, immediately drawing the attention of Manuella.

“What in Fodlan happened?” the physician called out as she stood up. “You run off furious and come back with an unconscious knight? What did you do?”

Jeralt dumped the armored woman on the adjacent bed before he replied. “This is unrelated to that. I just heard her say some things that I disagreed with and when I told her to stop she decided that doubling down was the right course of action.”

Manuella began to look over the unconscious knight. “What could she have said that would lead to this?” As she spoke she gestured to the split lip and already bruising jaw. “It almost looks like her jaw is broken!”

The knight captain didn’t respond immediately, instead looking at Byleth, almost as if he was waiting for permission. When all he got was a confused stare, he let out a sigh. “She decided that Byleth wasn’t a real woman, and when I told her to watch what she said, she threw around some less than savory terms.”

With that explanation the room was filled with a tense silence and the physician’s hands stilled. Without a word she got up from the woman’s side and walked over to Jeralt before grabbing his hand and looking it over. Byleth could see from where she was that it wasn’t badly injured, which made it all the more surprising when Manuella’s own hands began to glow with warm energy. “I suppose it couldn’t be helped then.”

Petra was the one who spoke up, her confusion clear. “What is not being able to be helped? And why did she think the professor is not a woman? Is it because she is not wearing dresses?”

“It’s because I was born as a boy,” Byleth answered without hesitating. “So apparently that is common knowledge now.”

Manuela turned to the group of students and their professor. “One of the healer’s must have decided that it was fine to share that knowledge after healing you. As for what couldn’t be helped, it’s the silencing of the nonsense the knight was spouting.”

“The fact that people still think that way is atrocious,” Edelgard remarked as she turned towards Byleth. “I’m glad that you and your father are standing up against these fools, even if your methods aren’t the most conductive to changing the minds of others.”

Jeralt let out a chuckle at that. “I’m glad we live up to your expectations, but honestly it’s the least I can do.” With that he turned to Byleth. “I’m gonna let you have some time with your students. I know just how much they’ve missed you.”

The captain turned towards the door with a smile before leaving the infirmary. Once he was out of the room all the students immediately focused on Byleth, with Bernie in particular speaking up. “Professor, um, I didn’t know who to tell, but one morning I saw some people in here. They said they owed you to at least stay around until you’re back on your feet.”

Byleth’s thoughts immediately harkened back to the form that had been near her this morning. Maybe that person was from that group. “What did they look like?”

“Um, there was a tall one who looked like he was a thug. And then there was a red haired woman who had dark skin and she seemed bored. Then there was another woman who reminded me of Ferdinand, and there was a purple haired man who seemed familiar.”

“The Ashen Wolves are still here?” Edelgard asked, her question drawing looks from her fellow students. “We met them earlier this month. They’re… eclectic, but they are trustworthy people.”

Dorothea leaned forward at that. “Are they the people who… know?”

Edelgard nodded, but before Byleth could ask what they knew, the rest of her students barged into the infirmary.

“Professor!” Caspar screamed before running to the bed. Byleth could tell he wasn’t going to stop in time, but thankfully so did Edelgard who put herself between the two and slowed him down enough so he simply came to a halt beside the professor. “You’re awake! I would have been here sooner but I figured someone had to get Lin out of bed!”

As Caspar continued to relay what had happened this morning a grand smile exploded across her face, the thought of how much she had missed just spending time with the Black Eagles and not having to worry about an impending mission crossing her mind.

\--15th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, ???--

An hour or so after the sun had fully set, once even the traces of it’s light gone from the sky, a girl dressed in the uniform of the officer’s academy had finished sneaking into a clearing far from the town of Garreg Mach.

“Ugh! Why do we have to meet out here in the middle of nowhere? We could have just met in the town, but no.”

“How much longer do you plan on whining, Kronya?” an uncaring voice chided.

“Thales!” the girl exclaimed, surprised by the sudden appearance of the man. “I’m done. What do you want to know?”

Thales stepped forward, his chalky skin, eyes, and hair almost the only part of him visible in the darkness. “What have you learned about the professor who has twice thwarted our plans?”

Kronya quickly gathered herself, clearing her throat to speak. “She’s definitely one of them. She’s strong too. Even with the injury from the Death Knight she was able to sense me and throw me across the room. Thankfully she didn’t learn who I’m wearing.”

“But she still knows you were there,” Thales remarked, a dissatisfied look on his sharp features. “How do you know for sure that she doesn’t know who you are?”

The combination of tone and expression sent a bolt of fear down Kronya’s spine. “I heard her mention that someone attacked her, but she thought it was a monk or something. And if this helps, I got something for you.” The girl reached into her coat and pulled out a vial, inside of which was green blood. “This is from the professor! I managed to get it after she tore open her wound.”

Thales’s white hand reached out and grabbed it, lifting it into the moon light and inspecting it. After a few seconds his expression changed to surprise and a malicious smile spread across his face. “This is quite the development. Keep an eye on the professor as well while you make sure our emperor is staying on task.”

Before she could reply a swarming cloud of dark magic filled the air and Thales was gone, leaving Kronya alone among the trees. She immediately turned back the way she came from and began muttering curses under her breath as she headed back to the monastery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter was mostly happy to write. It just took a while because depression sucks! Anyways, I hope y'all are doing great and that you enjoy the story! Hopefully more will come quickly as I get out of this slump I'm in!


	42. Plans Getting Underway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A painful realization is posed to the Black Eagles, but thankfully the week of Byleth's recovery has more in store than just difficult topics.

\--16th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Edelgard was waiting patiently in the classroom, facing the door instead of the teacher’s desk as usual. Captain Jeralt had given them today off as well, partially because he was having to have a chat with Seteth regarding the knight he knocked unconscious yesterday. This left the students free to do as they wished for the day but after learning how the professor wouldn’t be able to participate in any training or missions for at least a month an idea had popped into the imperial princess’s mind. This idea led to Hubert going around to gather the other Black Eagles as classes began for the other houses. Thankfully it wasn’t long before the gaunt retainer returned with the others in tow.

As they trudged into the classroom Dorothea let out an exaggerated yawn. “Edie, I know that you enjoy working diligently but some of us prefer to savor our free time.”

“I thought it better to plan out our course of action for the immediate future now so that you can enjoy your free time later,” Edelgard replied. “At the beginning of this month I was able to talk to the professor. As we all know, especially after the confrontation during Flayn’s rescue, she has been putting herself in excessive danger to protect us. During our talk however I learned the extent to which she has been doing so.”

Several of the students gave Edelgard confused looks as they waited for her to continue, but Caspar piped up. “What do you mean? Has she been fighting people we don’t know about?”

Edelgard looked to the blue haired boy and nodded. “In a way, yes. Do any of you remember what she told us in the Red Canyon? Specifically about Sothis?”

For a while nobody responded, all of them clearly trying to recall what their house leader was talking about. Eventually however Linhardt lifted his head. “The professor mentioned that she was a girl who is in her head and has the power to turn back time.” The green haired healer paused for a second before his head shot up again. “Are you implying that what she said is true?”

“That’s exactly what I’m implying,” remarked Edelgard. “And I know how preposterous it sounds, but I’ve seen it for myself. The professor has shown me enough proof that I believe her completely. However, I’ve also seen the downside of using this ability.”

“If the professor has this ability,” Ferdinand interjected, “then how is it even possible for her to lose a battle?”

“That’s what I’m trying to explain,” chided Edelgard. “Think of all the fighting we’ve done alongside the professor. Try to think of how many times she’s suddenly appeared with little to no explanation and saved you. She appeared there because she was preventing something that she had already seen come true.” The white haired student turned to Petra as she spoke. “Underneath the monastery, when she stood in front of that attack for you, Petra? That was her last ditch effort to make sure that everyone got out safely. She’s seen each of us die tens or even hundreds of times. We’re the reason why the professor gets injured.”

With that new information all of the other students' faces slowly changed to expressions of shock and horror. Even Hubert looked paler than he did before.

After giving them a bit of time to process this revelation Edelgard continued. “I doubt I’m the only one who believes we must do something to remedy this. Which is why I’m proposing that we all put in serious effort to not just improve our current skills, but to also improve the areas where we are lacking. I know that I lack expertise in defending against magical attacks so that is one of the things that I will be working on. But more than that, I think that we should all work together and train with one another so that we can learn from those who are excelling in a given area.”

As soon as Edelgard finished speaking Petra stood up. “I am having agreement with this! The professor has been giving us safeness. It is only fair that we are returning that favor.”

“As much as I don’t like the idea of using all my free time to train,” Dorothea added, “I think you have a point, Edie. We certainly owe it to the professor to make her life easier.”

The rest of the students voiced their agreement at this, and almost immediately a discussion of what each person was lacking started. Thankfully everyone seemed willing to at least begrudgingly listen as their flaws on the battlefield were exposed, allowing these discussions to continue for most of the morning.

\--17th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Leonie--

After Professor Cassagranda let out class for the afternoon Leonie headed directly for the training grounds. Since the professor had been injured she hadn’t been taking the Golden Deer to the training grounds, which was starting to mildly infuriate the ginger student. She couldn’t help but feel like her training was starting to fall behind, so she had resolved to make up for the lost time. To her surprise as she entered the training grounds she found Captain Jeralt wielding a lance against a training dummy.

As Leonie approached he glanced over towards her and slowed his weapon. “Hey, kid. Should have expected to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to see you,” Leonie admitted. “I would have thought that you’d be staying with Professor Eisner.”

The knight captain’s free hand went to the back of his his as he let out a quiet chuckle. “She was getting a little fed up of me staying with her all the time. I may have been worrying a bit too much.”

Leonie balked at that. “I don’t get how anyone could tire of you! You’ve got to have lots of great stories and advice.”

“Well,” Jeralt remarked as he shifted his weight to his lance, “she’s heard pretty much all my stories and I don’t really have any advice for her anymore.”

That last bit made the ginger haired student’s face gain an inquisitive expression. “What do you mean you don’t have any advice for her.”

Jeralt looked at the student for a second, his confusion evident. “Well, I’ve trained her since she was six. She has more experience than most of the mercenaries that worked with us too. As for tips about other things, I don’t know about much aside from fighting so I don’t have much to tell about anything else.”

“I didn’t know she had that much experience,” admitted Leonie. “Wait, how old is she?”

“She’ll be 21 on Saturday,” Jeralt replied. “We never do much to celebrate it though.”

That didn’t really surprise Leonie. Both of the Eisner’s seemed to be very minimalist and when she had first met the captain he had been travelling almost excessively light. “Well, while you’re here do you mind sparing a bit? I could probably use some of the advice you have.”

A hearty laugh escaped Jeralt at that, putting a smile on Leonies lips. “Sure thing. I’m always up for a bit of practice. Who knows, maybe you’ll teach me a thing or two!”

Leonie blushed at that praise, quickly turning away to grab some training equipment. As she picked up a training spear and put on some padding she couldn’t help but grin at the idea of practicing with the Captain.

\-- 19th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Few things could make Edelgard panic anymore. Of those few things, the only expected one was having to swim in open water. However, today an unexpected one had popped up. At the end of class Captain Eisner had mentioned that tomorrow was Byleth’s birthday, something that the princess had not known, and that had sent panic coursing through her. The idea that the former mercenary’s birthday could pass by with no notice disheartened Edelgard, especially after Byleth had been so caring and attentive regarding her birthday. She had to figure out something that could be done quickly but would still convey the importance of Byleth in her life. 

As Edelgard was struggling to think of something to get Byleth, Dorothea’s voice snapped her out of her fretting. “Edie! I’ve been looking for you! Bernie has something they want to show us, but you ran off as soon as class was over.” As she walked closer the songstress lowered her voice to a whisper. “I wonder if that has anything to do with your undying love of our dear professor?”

Immediately Edelgard felt her face heat up, earning a smirk from Dorothea. “I don’t know why you would assume that. I was simply thinking of what to get our professor for her birthday.”

“Well you’re in luck!” Dorothea exclaimed, her voice a bit too loud to be comfortable with how close she was. “Bernie said what they wanted to show us is related to Professor Eisner.”

Before Edelgard could argue the brunette grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards the dormitories, earning stares from students and knights as they went by. They soon reached Bernie’s dormitory where the house leader saw the other Black Eagles, along with Mercedes and Annette, gathered around the door.

“I’m so excited to see what Bernie has to show us!” Caspar could be heard saying as they arrived. “What do you think it is, Lin?”

Linhardt let out a yawn as he leaned against the blue haired fighter. “I don’t know. I just want them to hurry up so I can get a nap in. I’m already tired from the extra training.”

Annette looked at the green haired healer with a confused look at that. “Who’s she with?”

Immediately all eyes focused on the excitable girl, sharing her confused look.

“Well,” began Annette, “Linhardt said he wanted them to hurry up. So who’s in there with Bernadetta?”

Now all the attention shifted to Linhardt who opened his mouth as if to speak only to be interrupted by a sigh from Dorothea. “Bernie doesn’t identify as a girl. They’re non-binary. Although we shouldn’t be the ones telling you this, should we Linhardt?.”

Once again Linhardt wasn’t able to speak as Annette posed another question. “What does that mean? Non-binary?”

“It means that they aren’t a boy or a girl,” Mercedes explained before turning to Dorothea. “What should we refer to them as then?”

Dorothea took Mercedes’s question in stride. “They go by Bernie and they,them. Although don’t go around outing them, please.”

Mercedes nodded quickly, and as she saw Annette’s still confused expression she quietly spoke to her. “I’ll explain more later.” That seemed to satisfy the mage but before anyone could add anything else to the conversation the door opened to reveal Bernie with what looked like folded bundles of cloth in their arms.

“So, um, we learned that the professor’s birthday is tomorrow and I’ve been working on these for a bit now since her old jacket got ruined.” As Bernie said that they handed the top bundle to Ferdinand who immediately began unfolding it. “I couldn’t find the right color so I got a few different ones but then I just ended up making a few of them.” Bernie walked over to Petra and Dorothea, handing them each one of the bundles as well. By then Ferdinand had finished unfolding the one he was given and what it revealed stunned the students.

Now unfurled for the others to see was a copy of the professor’s coat, but instead of the gray cloth that the old one had been made of it was a deep red, almost crimson, with golden trim and silver embroidery that caught the sun and shimmered as if metal had been woven into every thread.

Upon seeing the new jacket Edelgard’s mind immediately went to the comment Byleth had made on their date regarding favorite colors and how perhaps one day she would think of the princess when she saw the color.Hoping to avoid blushing in front of her classmates she tore her eyes away from the jacket, looking at the other two jackets now being held up by Dorothea and Petra. Both were of the same excellent quality, although the colors didn’t evoke the same reaction from Edelgard, much to her relief.

“You made these in just the past few days?” Ferdinand exclaimed, pulling the jacket closer to inspect the work. “This is amazing, Bernie! I have no doubt that the professor will be in awe of this!”

Bernie blushed and withdrew in on themselves as the others expressed their praise as well, crowding around them. Their distress didn’t go unnoticed however, although the one who stepped in to stop it was surprising.

“We’re all quite impressed,” Hubert said as he stepped forward, sheltering Bernie by putting himself between them and the others. “However, we should remember that not all of us like to be the center of attention.” That reminder got the others to step back and a satisfied look appeared on Hubert’s face before he turned towards Bernie.

“Now, what is your plan for these jackets?” the gaunt mage asked.

Bernie collected themselves for a second after Hubert’s question. “I was thinking that we could give them to the professor as a birthday present from all of us.”

“Wait,” Dorothea began. “You want to have all of us give this to the professor? You’re the only one who worked on it. You should get the credit.”

Petra nodded in agreement at that. “You do not have to be sharing your gift with us.”

Before anyone else could add anything, Bernie spoke up, their voice carrying a surprising amount of conviction. “All of you help me so much, so if I can share something with you I want to!”

Everyone stared at the purple haired archer, shocked by their admittedly mild but relatively determined outburst. Before Bernie could regret their action however Mercedes stepped up to get everyone’s attention.

“I think that’s wonderful,” she remarked. “It’s very kind of you to give back to those to help you. If it isn’t imposing, perhaps we could help by baking a cake? I know Professor Eisner isn’t our professor, but birthdays are supposed to be celebrations, aren’t they?”

Most of the Black Eagles perked up at that and soon, thanks mostly to Dorothea, Ferdinand, Mercedes, and Annette, a plan for the professor’s birthday party was underway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! Fluff! And next chapter we get a birthday party! For Byleth! Who's excited?! I am! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and hopefully now that I'm not as terribly depressed I'll get more chapters out slightly more regularly.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth finally gets discharged from the infirmary, a birthday party is attempted, and Rhea once again learns just how much she's hurt people.

\--20th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As the sun filtered through the window of the infirmary Byleth felt her consciousness return to the waking world. Even with only five days since she woke up after her injury she was feeling much better. Definitely not well enough to spar or anything, but enough that she was getting restless from laying in bed all day.

Before Byleth’s mind could move onto anything else however, Sothis’ familiar form popped into her senses. “Happy birthday, Byleth!”

A soft smile grew from the woman’s lips. “Happy birthday to you too, Sothis.”

“You know,” the green haired goddess remarked as she floated down next to Byleth, “they say it’s good luck to share a birthday with the goddess!”

Byleth’s eyebrow raised up at that. “Oh? Who says that?”

Sothis’s face lit up as Byleth asked. “Why, I do of course! You’re blessed to know me, aren’t you?”

Mirthful laughter flowed from the blue haired woman’s lips. “I truly am, aren’t I?”

Before anything more could be said the door opened and Manuela walked in. “Good morning Byleth.”

“Morning,” she replied, shifting to sit up. “Manuella, can I finally get out of this bed today?”

The physician paused as she walked to her desk, her hand going to her chin as she thought.”Let’s see how you’re doing once I get my paperwork done and I’ll make a decision then.”

Byleth’s shoulders sank at that, having received similar answers from her father that rarely meant she would actually get what she asked for. As she laid back down Sothis piped up again. “You know, laying in bed all day isn’t the worst thing. You could be getting stabbed again. And your students get a rest since you can’t take them out on missions.”

“Assuming that somebody else isn’t doing that instead,” the professor whispered.

“What was that?” Manuela asked offhandedly, not looking up from her desk. “Do you need something?”

When the brunette asked that Byleth froze, having forgotten for a moment that she wasn’t alone with Sothis. “Just talking to myself. I’m getting restless if I’m honest.”

Manuela looked up at that. “Well, let’s get your check up over with. At the very least it’ll be more productive than filling out more forms about knights and the results of their less than chivalrous adventures.”

Despite not being sure what the physician meant by that, Byleth was glad that at least she would get an answer about whether or not she could finally leave. As Manuela got up and walked over Byleth shuffled onto her uninjured side, as had been the procedure for all the previous inspections during this past week. Once she had arranged herself it wasn’t long before the familiar tingle of white magic began to prod at her.

A few hums and haws came from the woman who was carefully working over the wound until finally she ceased the flow of magic after a few minutes. “Well, you’ve definitely responded better to treatment than I expected. I’d say if you don’t do anything strenuous, and I mean anything, you can be released. Seriously though. Don’t go lifting things, or running around, and for the Goddess’s sake don’t do any training. If you end up hurting yourself more then you aren’t leaving the infirmary until you’re completely healed.”

Byleth immediately began shifting to get up, making Manuela snap backwards. “Thanks for letting me go. And I’ll be sure to take it really easy. This isn’t the first time I’ve been hurt, so I know how easy it can be to make things worse.” Before she could stand up though Byleth looked down at her current outfit, or more accurately a lack of one. She was in a simple gown meant for people receiving care, and while it gave her some amount of modesty it didn’t cover enough for her to be walking around the monastery. “Um, Manuela?”

“Mmmhmm?” she mumbled, almost as if she knew what was coming.

“Where are my clothes?” As Byleth asked this she turned around slowly, wanting to make sure that she didn’t end herself back on bed rest before she could even leave the infirmary.

A knowing smile rested on Manuela’s face. “Well, the clothes you came in wearing were coated in blood and some of them had to be cut off of you. However…” The physician walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bundle. “Some of them were saved. One of the monks spent some time mending what they could at your father’s request.”

Manuela handed the bundle to Byleth, letting her open it to reveal several of her clothes. But almost instantly she saw something important was missing. “Where’s my coat?”

With that question Manuela’s smile faded. “It was so destroyed from the attack. And then it had to be cut off of it too. The person who repaired them almost certainly had to throw it out.”

“Oh…” was all the blue haired woman could say at that revelation. Her thoughts went to when she got the jacket. They had been travelling in Faerghus during the fall not long after she and her father had been reunited since he had been in Liecester with the mercenaries on a job and Byleth had been learning how to make the medicine she would need and make sure that it wasn’t doing anything harmful to her. The company had finished a mission and were celebrating in a town that was having a harvest festival. Jeralt had seen her staring at the flowing dresses that some of the women at the festival had been wearing, and had asked her if she wanted something similar. Byleth was still too new to being herself to feel confident enough to say yes though.

That wasn’t enough to completely dissuade her father however. The next day he was nowhere to be found and all of the mercenaries she asked said he had left almost as soon as the sun rose. He finally returned after lunch, a brown paper wrapped bundle under his arm. He brought Byleth into the room they had been sharing at the inn and handed the package to her. As she opened it she saw the embroidery on it, matching the symbol on her father’s tabard. Unfolding it completely revealed the flowing sleeves and trailing tail. She had spent the rest of the day showing it off to all of the mercenaries, some of them more than once in her excitement. 

“Byleth?” a voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up from the bundle and saw Sothis in front of her, as well as Manuela standing to the side. 

“I’m fine,” she replied shakily. “It just meant a lot to me. I’m sad that it’s gone.”

Byleth looked over the clothes before realizing that these probably wouldn’t be the best things to wear while still recovering. They weren’t particularly restrictive, but they could be a pain to get on. Especially the tights. “Can I ask you a favor?”

Manuela nodded. “Sure, assuming it isn’t something too atrocious.”

“Can you go to my room and grab me a skirt?” Byleth asked. “I have some in my bottom left drawer.”

“I can do that,” Manuela agreed. “Don’t do anything reckless while I’m gone.”

The physician turned around and made her way out of the room, leaving Byleth alone with Sothis and her thoughts. Once the door had shut and she was confident that Manuela wasn’t coming back immediately, she allowed herself to cry.   
  
\--20th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

The Black Eagles, along with Mercedes and Annette, had decided to visit Byleth shortly before lunch. Fortunately this meant that Edelgard had time to think of and create a gift for her, even though it had cost her almost all of the sleep she would have gotten last night. Now she had the gift tucked away inside her uniform shirt, waiting for a time when she can give it to Byleth without prying eyes around.

As Edelgard walked to the classroom, where they had decided to meet, a familiar voice called out to her. “Edie!” without having to turn around the princess knew who it was.

“Hello, Dorothea,” she replied as she faced the songstress. As she did so she saw Petra alongside her, their fingers intertwined. “And hello, Petra as well.”

“Hello Edelgard!” Petra greeted. “Are you having excitement for seeing the professor?”

Before Edelgard could give an answer a smirk grew on Dorothea’s face. “Of course she is! Wouldn’t you be excited to see the one you love?”

Edelgard’s normally pale face gained a brushing of pink at that, but she wasn’t alone in that for long. “Of course I would,” answered Petra. “I have excitement to see you always in my heart.”

Now it was Dorothea whose face was flushing at that. “Petra!” she balked, but all the Brigid princess did was raise their entwined hands to her lips, placing a chaste kiss on the back of Dorothea’s hand.

While Edelgard chuckled and Petra smiled softly at Dorothea, the songstress managed to eventually regain her composure. “Well then, if we’re all done with that we have to meet up with the others to throw our professor a birthday party.”

Before the others could add any other remarks she headed off, pulling Petra along and causing Edelgard to follow behind. The trio arrived at the classroom to see Ferdinand, Mercedes, Annette, and surprisingly both Caspar and Linhardt. That meant that the only ones missing were Bernie and Hubert, although the idea of Hubert trying to convince the meek Bernie out of their room without scaring them more made Edelgard think that perhaps they would have to rescue the archer. She decides to give them a chance to prove her wrong however and begins to chat with the other students while they wait. Talk of excitement to see the professor dominates the conversation, with Dorothea shooting knowing looks at Edelgard all the while. Thankfully the princess doesn’t have to endure this long as Hubert and Bernie arrive with a set of bundles in hand, proving her fears of having to stage an impromptu rescue to be unfounded.

“Well,” Edelgard remarks as the two final arrivals join the group, “it seems we’re all here. If there’s nothing else holding us back, I suggest we make our way to the infirmary.”

Nobody voiced any disagreement, although Caspar did chime in. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face! She’s going to be so glad! I just know it.”

“Just remember that she’s still recovering,” Linhardt remarked as he leaned against his partner. “We don’t need you almost tackling her like you did when she woke up.”

Caspar’s hand went to the back of his neck as he let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Yeah… I’ll do better this time.”

With that the group began to proceed into the reception hall before filing up the stairs. As they went they got a few strange looks as they were carrying the bundles of coats as well as a large tray that held the cake under a cloche. Thankfully nobody stopped them as they made their way to the infirmary. Once there Hubert went ahead and held the door for the others but once inside the infirmary only a surprised Professor Casagranda was found.

“Hello,” the physician greeted, the confusion clear in her voice. “What brings such a large group here? Usually you visit in pairs.”

Edelgard looked around the room for Byleth but saw no sign of her. Surely if something had gone wrong they would have been informed. “We’re here to see Professor Eisner.”   
  
Understanding replaced the confused expression on the former songstress’s face. “Well, you missed her by an hour or so. I gave her the okay to get off of bed rest, with some stipulations of course, and she headed out once she had everything that she came in with.”   
  
“Do you know where she went?” Ferdinand asked as he stepped up beside Edelgard. “We had planned to have a small celebration for her birthday.”   
  
Professor Casagranda simply shook her head. “Once she had been cleared I had to get back to work. Perhaps her father knows? Although I haven’t heard anything from his office this morning either.”

“Thank you,” replied Edelgard. “We’ll be going now. Our apologies for interrupting you.”

Without even waiting for a response Edelgard made her way through the group of students out into the hall. She knew that her brash attitude was almost certainly drawing attention to her, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to know where Byleth had gone.

\-- 20th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Rhea--

There were a multitude of things that the archbishop regretted throughout her life. From the first attempt to bring back her mother to the more recent failure to see how hiding Sitri’s body would affect the others who were close to her in life. However, the one that was most on her mind at the moment was the impulsive decision to discuss what to do with Sitri’s body with Jeralt and Byleth when she saw that the professor was finally up and about. She knew that the discussion would have to happen, and it would have to happen soon, but perhaps the first time she saw the two of them, on Byleth’s birthday, which was also the anniversary of Sitri’s death, wasn’t the best idea.

It was too late to back out now though. The three of them were in the office off the audience chamber, sitting with a tense silence between them. Rhea took a deep breath before attempting to cut through the awkwardness. “Well, I agreed that I would let you decide what to do with Sitri’s body. So what do you wish to be done?”

“Bury her,” Jeralt snarled. “Like you pretended to last time. Like you lied to us about.”

The archbishop resisted the urge to wince as her actions were described. “And do you feel the same, professor?”

Byleth simply nodded, her expression an attempt at remaining calm but her anger clearly coming through.

“Then I shall have it done,” Rhea remarked. “It’ll be done by midday tomorrow.”

She paused for a second, thinking to herself on how poorly she wanted the day to go. It was clear to her however that she would have to put effort into undoing the damage she had caused. Seteth had made that abundantly clear. After Jeralt had come to her to learn about Sitri’s body he had expressed his own feelings on the situation. He understood Jerat’s feelings, explaining how he would feel if she had done the same thing with his wife.

Rhea made her decision with that in mind. “Do you have anything else you wish to ask? I promise to answer honestly, although I know my word means little to you two currently.”

Byleth sat quietly, glaring at her, while once again Jeralt spoke up. “What did you do to Byleth? What happened to Sitri? Why do they both have green blood?”

She knew that she would have to explain at least part of this to Byleth, so it wasn’t as if she was wholly unprepared. “Sitri did perish from the stress of childbirth. Jeralt, you know as well as I that she never had a strong constitution. It’s part of why I forbade her from leaving the monastery and town. However, as you know she was not… normal for a human.”

Byleth’s face betrayed her interest at that phrasing and as she leaned forward Rhea continued. “Sitri, Byleth, and myself all have green blood. It is one of the differences that seperate us from others. I, as well as Sitri, have pointed ears and sharper teeth.” As she said this she brushed back her hair to reveal the sharp tips of her ears before she opened her mouth and showed her fangs to the two in front of her. “We are known as the Children of the Goddess. It was a name given to those who were descended from Sothis herself. She bore those same traits. In addition, both she and those who are her children do not have beating hearts.”

“Like me,” Byleth whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

“Indeed,” the archbishop replied. “As for what I did to your daughter, Jeralt, I fulfilled Sitri’s final wish. Byleth was stillborn. She had no heart, like Sitri and I, but also did not have the crest that sustains us in its stead. Knowing that she was not long for this world regardless of what happened, she asked me to take her crest stone and place it within Byleth with the hope that it would save her life.”

Both of the Eisners looked at Rhea studiously, as if they were trying to figure out if she was lying to them or twisting her words. After a short bit they looked at each other and seemed to be satisfied. The archbishop let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding at that, right before Byleth finally spoke up for the first time. “You said I’m a ‘Child of the Goddess’. What does that mean? Why don’t I have sharp teeth or pointed ears like you or my mother?”

It was a few seconds before the archbishop replied, thinking of how to explain what to say and where to start. “Well, it means you aren’t human. The Goddess created her children to somewhat resemble humans, but they are different creatures. Your ability to transform, for example, comes from that part of you.”

Jeralt and Byleth both tensed as Rhea said that, clearly not expecting her to bring it up or perhaps even know about it. She didn’t give them time to ask more questions however, continuing on with her answer. “You have the power of the Goddess flowing through you, more so than most others in your case. As for why you lack some of the features, it’s likely because you are part human.”

Rhea paused at that, although it was clear that she wasn’t done speaking. Instead she was trying to find the right words. “In order to explain it completely however, I need to go back quite a ways. The goddess created her children long before the War of Heroes. We know some of her children now as the Saints and the Apostles. After the Goddess left behind her physical form, chaos erupted, and while the Saints managed to eventually bring peace back to Fodlan, the damage was done. Things have never fully gone back to the idyllic peace of when the Goddess resided in Fodlan. I have tried several times during my long life to restore the physical form which she now lacks.”

Despite her efforts to keep looking at Byleth, the archbishop couldn’t help but lower her head as she spoke. “Sitri was originally another such attempt. I created her to be a vessel for the Goddess using the Crest Stone that was left behind when she lost her physical form. She wasn’t compatible however, leading to her frail nature. Over time I came to see her as a daughter, which Jeralt can confirm. The fact that she was, for lack of a better way to say it, not a real person…”

Almost as soon as she finished those words Rhea felt something hit her face hard enough to send her toppling over onto the couch. As she looks up, her hand coming to her cheek, she sees Jeralt standing over her, his fists clenched and his face screwed up in rage. “Sitri was as real as anyone else! How dare you talk about her like that!”

With those words, after all the struggling to remain composed and honest while explaining this to the two before her, something snapped in Rhea. “Do you think I don’t know that?! She was my daughter! I cared about her more than anything else! And her last request was for me to kill her! Do you understand how that feels? Imagine having to plunge your spear into Byleth’s chest! That’s what it was like! It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but instead I had to add another family member to the long list of those I’ve lost! All because I just wanted my mother back…”

“So you decide to use people?” Jeralt screamed as he took a step towards the archbishop. “What if it had succeeded? What would have happened to Sitri?!”

Rhea knew what would have happened, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Before the knight captain could call her out on that though, Byleth caught both of their attention. 

“Stop!” the blue haired woman cried out, tears streaming down her face as she stood up. “You both care about her, but you’re doing exactly what she wouldn’t want!” Jeralt and Rhea both scrunched in on themselves as Byleth brought that truth to bear. “The two of you need to sort this out, but you need to do it without acting like children!”

As she finished speaking Byleth brought a hand up to her face and touched the water on her cheek before looking at her wet fingers with a confused look. “Am I crying? Why am I crying?”

The archbishop sat back up as the professor wiped away her tears and Jeralt took a step back. “I think this should be put on hold until we’re all able to talk about this again,” Rhea suggested. “I’ll have arrangements made for Sitri’s burial. I assume you two will want to attend so I’ll have someone collect you so you can be there for it.”

“Thank you,” mumbled Jeralt as he stepped over to Byleth, wrapping an arm around her. “C’mon kid. Let’s go get calmed down.”

Without another word the two left Rhea alone in the office, exhaustion and sorrow hitting her as she put her head in her hands. Although they couldn’t escape through the solid door of the office, sobs began to fill the room as she finally broke down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you all were expecting a birthday party, and we'll get one next chapter, I promise. But everything in this chapter is important! I hope y'all understand. Anyways, let me know what you think, whether you loved it or hated it or just think it's a way to arrange about 3500 words.


	44. Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the meeting with Rhea things begin to slot into place in Byleth and Sothis's mind. Before they can discuss everything however, the Black Eagles interrupt them to throw a party for their professor.

\-- 20th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth --

After the talk with Rhea Byleth split off from her father, wanting some time alone with her thoughts. She walked for a bit, not entirely aware of where her legs were taking her. Soon enough she found herself in front of her mother’s grave. Although that wasn’t entirely right was it? It was just her mother’s gravestone. Her body was wherever Rhea had sequestered it.

Still, she must find some solace here if she came here without thinking. Deciding she may as well work through her thoughts Byleth slowly shuffled down behind the headstone. As she settled on the ground, her back against the warm stone, Sothis appeared in front of her, similarly sitting on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” the green haired goddess whispered.

Byleth tilted her head in confusion at that. “What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t choose for Rhea to put your crest stone in my mom or me. And you’ve made sure I always have someone with me.”

Sothis blushed as her face showed her embarrassment. “Not for that! I… I think I was why you started crying in the office.” She paused for a second as if trying to find the words to describe what had happened. “When the archbishop started talking about how your mother was like a daughter to her it was like a strangely familiar wave of sadness hit me.”

“I know we share a head,” Byleth whispered, “but it feels like we’ve become more… connected since we came here.”

Without a second of hesitation Sothis nodded in agreement. “It does seem that way. But does it come from being here or from finally making progress on figuring out what our connection is? Or… is it because what the archbishop mentioned is finally happening?”

That thought had crossed Byleth’s mind, but she refused to accept that. “No. Even if that was happening, you’d have to choose to do it, wouldn’t you? You’re the goddess after all.”

“So we’d hope,” Sothis replied, resting her chin on her knees.

After a few seconds of silence between the two of them something clicked within Byleth’s mind. “Oh! Rhea’s goal was to restore your physical form, right?” Sothis nodded, her face bearing a confused expression that prompted Byleth to continue. “Well, then why did she say she wanted her mother back?”

Sothis’s mouth fell open as she realized what that meant as well. “That would imply that she’s as old as the Saints and Apostles! What if she is one of them?” Before Byleth could respond, shouting suddenly got her attention.

“There’s the professor!” the familiar voice of Caspar cried out from above and to the left. Looking up at the blue haired boy as he leaned over the railing, Byleth also saw the rest of her students join him. Almost immediately the group started running towards the stairs, their cacophonous voices filling the air.

Byleth could feel a smile growing on her face as she looked back to Sothis. “Looks like we’ve run out of time for the moment.”

“So we have,” she replied, a smile of her own growing in reply. “Go enjoy whatever your students have planned.” As Sothis said this she faded away, returning to the unseen corners of Byelth’s mind.

The blue haired woman stood up, using her mother’s gravestone to brace herself as she did so. By the time she finally got completely to her feet her students were all around her. “Hello everyone. What’s all the excitement about?”

Caspar was the first to answer, shouting his reply as he did his best to keep his enthusiasm in check. “Happy Birthday!”

“Thank you,” Byleth replied before looking at the other students. “Did you all come to wish me that?”

“That and to celebrate your birthday with you,” Ferdinand responded. “Assuming you are free, of course! We wouldn’t want to make you miss some other event.”

A quick shake of her head let the students know that wasn’t something to worry about. “I have nothing else to do today. Although we should probably go somewhere else.”

“Why are you sitting in the graveyard, Professor Eisner?” asked Mercedes as the others looked around at the professor’s remark.

“I came to visit my mother,” Byleth replied, resting her hand on the stone beside her.

Mercedes’s features softened from their usual happiness at that. “Oh. I hope we weren’t interrupting something.”

“No, I just came here to think,” explained Byleth, assuaging that fear.

Before that could continue, Edelgard interjected. “Let’s move this to the classroom! It’s private enough to not disturb others but we’ll still have space to enjoy the time together.”

Byleth nodded at that. “Lead the way.”

That was enough to get everyone moving, chattering among themselves and with Byleth as they walked. Throughout the short journey the students who hadn’t already done so wished the blue haired woman a happy birthday, bringing a wide smile to her face. Once at the classroom Ferdinand, Petra, and Caspar all began moving desks around, arranging them into something a bit more usable by the group. While they did that Edelgard got a chair for Byleth, who immediately took a seat. She could feel her side already aching, so sitting down was a nice relief.

After a few more seconds of chaos the desks were arranged and Everyone gathered around Byleth as Mercedes set down the cloche. “Dorothea, would you give us a hand please?” she asked as she lifted the lid. With a wave of her hand and some muttered words fire leapt to what was revealed to be a cake with small candles on it.

As the magic died down everyone was looking at Byleth, who was staring at the cake with a confused expression. “That’s not enough light for this room,” she remarked as she looked at the others.

“I am having agreement, Professor,” Petra replied. “But the others were telling me that the purpose is to be making a wish.”

“What should I wish for?” the blue haired woman asked after a few seconds, looking to her students for advice.

“You should wish to get stronger!” Caspar exclaimed immediately.

Mercedes was the next to speak up. “Or perhaps a quick recovery!”

“Time to relax would probably be a nice thing to have, Professor,” suggested Dorothea.

The other’s voices quickly piled up, but Byleth had started tuning them out, thinking of what she wanted. Her thoughts started at what is dear to her. Her father and Sothis were the first things that came to her, but she felt content with those two. They had been pillars in her life for so long that she felt like she couldn’t ask for anything more with them. Her students were the group to cross her mind, although they seemed pretty content too. As she was thinking about them however Edelgard’s words rang through her mind.

‘You taught me that I don’t have to carry my burdens alone, but that means that you don’t have to either,’ were the words she said down in Abyss, and with that Byleth knew her wish.

“I wish that we all get to be safe and happy,” Byleth said to the cake, her quiet words causing the others to go quiet.

Almost as if sensing her hesitation about what to do next, Edelgard leaned closer to her. “Now blow out the candles.”

When Byleth followed that instruction everyone started cheering. Even Petra, despite her lack of understanding regarding this ritual.

“Let’s cut the cake and then we can give the present!” Dorothea exclaimed, setting down a basket on the table and pulling out plates and cutlery. Mercedes did all the work on the cake, Professor, so be sure to thank her. We did have to go with something basic because we didn’t know what you would prefer though.”

“I’m sure I’ll be more than satisfied,” Byleth replied. “This is my first time having a celebration like this for my birthday.” 

Bernie’s voice piped up at that, clutching a bundle wrapped in fine cloth. “Do you mean with a cake?”

The former mercenary shook her head at that. “No. It’s always just been my dad and I.”

“You’ve never had a party?” Annette asked, staring at the woman as if she was covered in scales.

“No gifts from those you were close to?” Ferdinand inquired, similarly shocked.

“It’s always just been me and my dad,” Byleth answered. “We’d usually go fishing or maybe I’d get something from a town we stopped in.”

“Well happy first birthday party!” Mercedes cheered as she helped plate up the cake, handing the first slice to the professor. “Here you go.”

Byleth took the plate, waiting for the others to get their own plates as well before finally taking a bite. When she finally tasted the soft cake she was immediately surprised as the taste of lemon hit her tongue. It wasn’t sour though, just tart enough to catch her attention before the flavor was replaced by a gentle sweetness.

Apparently her opinion of the confection was clear to see, as evidenced by the fact that Dorothea let out a quiet chuckle. “It looks like you enjoy the cake, professor! Glad to know you’re a fan of lemon drizzle.”

The professor didn’t voice her reply, instead opting to nod vigorously before she took an even larger bite. The songstress and several others laughed at that, but it was obvious they were enjoying seeing this side of Byleth.

“Well, aside from more cake,” remarked Annette, “the next thing is to give the gift, right?”

A quiet sound of a familiar startling gave the answer. “That’s me! Right!” Bernie muttered, picking up the bundle they had been holding close the entire time. They bolted around the table to stand beside Byleth. “Umm, this is from all of us. Your last one got damaged so I was going to make a new one but then I couldn’t decide on the color so I ended up making more than one and oh no I’m rambling aren’t I?” Before an answer could be given they pushed the bundle towards the professor, hands trembling.

“Thank you,” Byleth replied, gently taking the bundle and setting it down in front of her. “I know that whatever it is will be wonderful!” She began to unwrap it, revealing some kind of heavy fabric. Running her hand over it felt familiar, but before she could recognize it she picked it up, holding it as it began to unfold.

As Byleth finally saw what it was, emotions flooded her. In her hands was her coat. Or a recreation of her coat. But still. It had the same flowing sleeves and tail, but instead of the practical grays and blacks were vibrant red and radiant gold and silver.

While she was taking in the sight of the new coat, Byleth didn’t realize she had started crying, which in turn caused Bernie to start panicking. “Oh, you hate it! Bernie knew that this would just be a disappoi-”

Before the purple haired archer could continue, Byleth pulled them into a tight embrace. “Thank you for this.”

\-- 20th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--

Even as the party, small as it was, wound down and people left to do their tasks for the day Byleth’s face was glowing. She had put on one of her new coats, the red one that made Edelgard feel a bit more possessive than was likely healthy, and had held the other two tight against herself. Now only Byleth, Hubert, Ferdinand, and herself remained, with the lanky retainer carrying the remainder of the cake as they left the classroom.

“I know I’ve said it a lot already,” Byleth remarked, a smile from ear to ear, “but thank you all, along with everyone else, for this. Don’t tell my dad but this is probably the best birthday I’ve had.”

"It was our honor, Professor!" Ferdinand replied. "You've done so much for us, this feels like the smallest gratitude we could give."

Byleth looked at the trio, warmth in her cornflower eyes. "It's more than I could have hoped for."

As she said that they arrived at the door to the blue haired woman's room, signalling an end to their short journey. Edelgard didn't want it to be over so soon, especially considering the paper resting against her heart. Almost as if he sensed this, Hubert cleared his throat.

"Ferdinand, would you mind joining me in my room? I have the documents you wished to review."

The ginger student looked confused for a second before figuring out what the retainer meant. "Oh, of course! Thank you for acquiring them so quickly!"

Hubert simply nodded before he turned to walk off, only to be stopped by Byleth's voice.

"Wait, you two. I want to let the two of you know that I forgive you. I've wanted to say it since I woke up but I hadn't found the courage." As Byleth spoke Edelgard noticed her grip on the coats tighten. "I know why you said what you said, and that you didn't know the effect of those words."

Ferdinand looked at the professor with a shocked expression before a smile bloomed on his lips. "Normally people give you gifts on your birthday, not the other way around. Thank you, Professor. We'll leave you be, but know that it means quite a lot to us."

"I agree," Hubert added. "Thank you for forgiving us."

With nothing else to say the two made their way towards the rest of the dorms, leaving Edelgard alone with Byleth.

"I know that it is not much, Byleth," whispered the princess, reaching into her coat, "but I made you a gift of my own."

Despite only pulling out a sheet of paper, Edelgard felt like she was trying to lift a boulder. However, there was no stopping now. As she unfolded the gift she turned it around to show Byleth.

"I know I am not very skilled at it, but I drew this for you."

On the paper was a collection of bust renderings of the Black Eagles, all of which were surrounding the professor's own face.

Edelgard started to worry when no response came, having expected at the very least to be told off for offering such a paltry gift. As she looked up however she saw Byleth's hand covering her mouth as her eyes started to water.

"Edelgard," Byleth whispered through her hand, "it's wonderful."

After she spoke the blue haired woman looked around, making Edelgard wonder what she was doing, before she leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to the shorter woman's soft lips. As they connected Edelgard wished they could have stayed like that forever, a small whine escaping her lips as Byleth pulled back.

"Thank you for today. And for every other day. You make them so enjoyable."

As she regained her senses Edelgard felt her face flush as she replied. "It's nothing at all. I, uh, I'll leave you be. I'm sure you're tired after such a busy day."

With one hand on her face, failing to hide her rose-colored cheeks, she handed over the drawing before turning around and walking away only to turn around again after a few steps. "I'll see you soon, Byleth."

Once she had said that Edelgard once more turned around, heading to her dorm with a flurry of flustered thoughts in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! A chapter of basically fluff! Sure, there's a little bit of other stuff, but mostly fluff! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I read them all!


	45. Finding Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert and Ferdinand finally go through some of the Prime Minister's crimes, Hilda gets advice, and Byleth gains new questions.

\-- 21st of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Ferdinand--

As the sun filtered through the slats in the blinds, an exhausted Ferdinand picked up the mug that Hubert had placed in front of him, the bitter scent of coffee causing his nose to wrinkle. Despite this he brought the cup to his lips, taking a large sip despite not caring for the beverage. After the party that the Black Eagles held for their professor, Hubert had brought him to his room and the two had spent the entirety of the night looking over the proof of his father’s crimes. While he already believed Edelgard and Hubert’s claims, this sealed it in his mind.

“Well,” the ginger student began as he lowered his drink, “what is the next step in getting him out of power?”

Hubert took a long sip of his own coffee before responding. “We have to wait for Lady Edelgard to take over as Emperor. If we act before then we’ll almost certainly be stopped before we can fully purge the corruption of Those Who Slither. When that happens, however, then they shall be cut out like the parasite they are before the sun can rise again.”

As Hubert spoke Ferdinand could feel the emotion in the normally stoic retainer’s words. He was truly committed to Edelgard’s cause. Although that was to be expected. The two of them had been together for as long as he had known either of them. Ferdinand’s own experience with the mage had given him some insight into Hubert however, and lately he had noticed a change.

“I am curious about something, Hubert.”

“Oh?” he replied, placing his cup down.

Ferdinand took that as a sign to continue. “Ever since the events at the Red Canyon, it has almost been like you’ve gotten… softer, for lack of a better word. For example, you wouldn’t have taken the initiative to step in between Bernie and the others to calm them down.”

“Would I not?” Hubert retorts. “I suppose that as remiss as I am to put my entire trust in all of you, the fact that all of you have joined Lady Edelgard’s cause has given me some relief.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Ferdinand remarked as he shook his head. “I started noticing these changes during our last mission.”

For several seconds Hubert remained silent, causing the lancer to wonder if he had pushed too far with his questioning. It certainly wasn’t something they would normally discuss. When the mage finally did speak up thought it was not to chastise him.

“Do you remember when Lady Edelgard returned to the palace?” Ferdinand nodded, eager to learn what had happened. “She stayed isolated for several weeks, understandably considering what she had been through. During that time I remained as close as she would allow, which was on the other side of her door more often than not. Of the few times we talked, most were my poor attempts to console her. One conversation however was about how I would be better off if I just left and never came back. Because of the ways that they had violated her, she thought herself a monster. A freak. Less than human.”

As he spoke Hubert’s gaze seemed to go through Ferdinand, as if he wasn’t there, and his grip on his mug was so tight it was causing his hand to shake. “I vowed to myself that I would never allow anyone to make someone feel as those repugnant wretches made Lady Edelgard feel about herself. But in the Red Canyon I let my desire to protect her highness control my actions and as a result I made Professor Eisner feel the same as Lady Edelgard felt all those years ago. In that instant I became that which I had sworn to stop.”

Now the change in Hubert’s demeanor made sense. He felt as if he had not only hurt the professor, who was innocent of what he accused her of, but he also felt as though he had taken a step towards becoming that which he hated most. Without thinking Ferdinand reached out his hand, placing it over Hubert’s shaking one. At that contact the retainer tensed, but he made no motion to pull away.

\--21st of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

Even though she was now well enough to actually do things, Byleth still found herself slow to rise. As she was laying in her bed, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep before joining the land of the living, Sothis appeared above her.

“We really need to continue the conversation from yesterday.”

Byleth groaned at that. “Just let me sleep for a while longer.”

“Oh, my apologies, Goddess of Sleep,” snarked Sothis. “But seriously. If the archbishop is the daughter of the Goddess, then she has to know a lot about the history of Fodlan, right? And maybe she was the one who tried to use the chalice to bring me back!”

Reluctantly accepting that she wasn’t going to get any more sleep, Byleth slowly sat up, shuffling to lean against the wall. “That would explain why she knew so much about the ritual as well. But then who is she really?”

Sothis’s hand came up to her chin at that. “Perhaps she appears in some religious images? Like the kind found in the library? Or perhaps in Abyss?”

“The book,” muttered Byleth, earning a confused look from Sothis. “The book that Linhardt has. It might have pictures of the children of the goddess!”

As Byleth exclaimed this she threw off her blanket, groaning slightly as she got up due to her wound. “I need to go get it from him! At the very least it has information about what I am.”

The blue haired woman ambled around the room, searching for clothes that she could throw on. While she did that Sothis floated above her bed. “While I appreciate your zeal, perhaps you should put some more thought into your plan than ‘run to bother your student’. What if the book doesn’t have answers?”

“Then we’ll check the library,” Byleth answered as she pulled on a tunic. “They’re bound to have a book about the saints.” 

With that Byleth finished getting dressed and walked out the door, heading towards Linhardt’s dormitory as quickly as she could without looking too suspicious. Within a minute she had gotten to her student’s door, announcing herself as she knocked. “Linhardt! It’s your professor! I need to speak to you!”

Shuffling was heard within the room, but as the door opened it wasn’t Linhardt’s sleepy face that greeted Byleth but instead Caspar. “Um, hello professor,” the blue haired student replied as his head appeared between the door and the wall. “Can you give us a second? We’re, uh, yeah.”

Byleth nodded as her face gained a faint dusting of blush, realizing what her student was saying.

"Should have planned more," Sothis remarked, floating next to the wall. "Perhaps it would have saved you from this."

No reply came as Byleth waited, the sounds of motion and muttering filling the awkward silence. Thankfully she didn't have to wait too long before Linhardt, with a shirt on inside out, cracked the door open.

"How can I help you professor?" He asked groggily.

The blue haired woman cleared her throat, choosing to not mention the shirt, before she replied. "The book from… the other library. Can I borrow it?"

That seemed to snap him out of his stupor. "Oh, yes." He immediately left the door and before Byleth could react he had returned, holding the book through the gap. "I meant to give this to you sooner, but then you got injured. Although I did mark down some interesting sections about that as well."

As she took the tome Byleth noticed colored bits of parchment sticking out from between pages.

"Is that all?" Linhardt asked, looking ready to close the door.

"Yes. Tha-" was all the professor managed to say before the door shut in front of her, making Sothis cackle.

"You deserved that," the floating goddess got out between bouts of laughter as Byleth stood there, still processing what had just happened. After a few seconds she recovered however, and made her way back to her own room. She was surprised to find someone waiting for her when she arrived, however.

"Hello, Professor Eisner!" Hilda called out from the steps to her room. "Do you have time to have that talk now?"

It took her a few confused seconds before the former mercenary remembered agreeing to talk with Hilda down in Abyss. Now that it had been over two weeks she felt a twinge of guilt at making the pink haired girl wait so long, even if she wasn't awake for most of that time. "Give me a minute or two, but okay."

Hilda nodded at that, leaning against the wall as Byleth walked into her room. She quickly tried to tidy up, having not picked up much of anything since her father went rummaging through her things for her teaching supplies. After a few slow and mildly painful minutes she opened the door, featuring for Hilda to come inside.

"So," Byleth began, "why don't you start by explaining the situation in a bit more detail. You mentioned I reminded you of your friend?"

"You do"! exclaimed Hilda, nodding as she spoke. "She doesn't turn into a giant winged lizard or an-"

Byleth didn’t parse anything after that, the mention of her other form causing immediate panic before she remembered being told that Linhardt ended up telling the group from Abyss. As the panic slowly began to recede she asked for clarification. “What did you say after saying she isn’t like me?”

Hilda looked confused for a second but repeated herself anyways. “Well, Marianne thinks she's cursed to be a source of bad luck to everyone around her. She tries to stay away from people, thinking that it's better for them.”

That was something that Byleth understood. Even though now she was much more self confident, several times she had had experiences that left her isolating herself from everyone except her father. That kind of loneliness ate at you and fed on itself to make you think that since nothing bad happened to others while you were away so it must be true. “I think the best thing you can do is stay with her and keep telling her she doesn’t bring bad luck to people. Unless you know where this belief comes from, you can’t do much else to fight it.”

“That’s… not very helpful,” Hilda admitted. “I’m already doing that and it’s not doing much.”

“Just because you don’t see a big change doesn’t mean that it isn’t helping,” Byleth remarked. “Even just keeping those feelings from getting worse is a lot of effort. And it sounds like that’s what you’re doing.”

The pink haired girl contemplated that for a bit. “I guess I didn’t think about it that way.”

“I can try to talk to her if you want,” offered the professor. “But if she is as reclusive as you say, I don’t know how much it will help.”

“Having more people might help,” Hilda replied. “But this talk helped a lot too! Thanks professor!” With that Hilda stood up and moved towards the door. “Have a nice day!”

Once the door had closed behind Hilda Sothis appeared next to Byleth. “Well, I suppose we have another person to help. But before we do that, we should look at the book!”

Byleth nodded, picking up the printed work and sitting at her desk. She opened the old tome gently, paging through it and trying to find something related to Rhea.

As she did so over the course of an hour or so, Byleth and Sothis both found themselves immersed in the pages. It described how these children of the goddess were able to call forth the elements themselves to attack, unleashing powerful blasts, as well as talking about how there used to be many more who lived among humans, their societies coexisting peacefully. Around half way through the book, however, Byleth stilled as she saw a drawing of a woman. Immediately a sense of somber recognition flooded the mercenary,although she wasn't sure if that sadness was hers or Sothis's. She put that aside for now though, instead focusing on the woman's appearance. Although she looked older and there were small differences, such as the eyes being a different shape and her nose being higher, the blue haired woman was sure. The woman in the picture looked startlingly like Flayn.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm excited for next chapter! I wonder what's going to happen. Also, poor Caspar and Linhardt. Getting their personal time interrupted by their professor. As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think. The comments feed my hunger for validation.


	46. The Pain of Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth gets a shocking reminder, Rhea sees the past in a different light, and Flayn's chance at learning becomes a chance to teach as well.

\--21st of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

The picture of the woman who looked like Flayn was startling, but not more so than the knock on Byleth’s door that immediately followed it’s discovery.

“Professor Eisner,” Seteth called out through the door. “Are you in there?”

Both Byleth and Sothis immediately started to panic, wondering what the bishop could want. Sothis, knowing she wouldn’t be heard, voiced her worry. “What if he’s here for the book?! I bet we aren’t supposed to have it! You have to hide it!”

Byleth quickly closed the book and flipped it over, leaving only the back and fore edge visible, before rushing to the door while Sothis was left to bring her palm to her face. Trying to not arouse suspicion, Byleth stepped to the door and opened it gently. "Hello, Seteth. What brings you here?"

"I was asked by Lady Rhea to inform you that the preparations for your mother have been made," he answered. "The 'event' will be held an hour after sundown. If you have no questions, then I'll be on my way."

"No, thank you for letting me know," Byleth replied, her voice somber.

As she went to close the door though the green haired man put his foot in the way. "I hope this doesn't come off as improper, but if you… wish to talk about the situation, my door is open. I have unfortunately felt loss myself."

With that said he removed his foot and turned around, leaving as Byleth shut the door.

"I forgot…" the blue haired woman muttered as she let herself slide down the door. "We talked about it yesterday and I forgot it entirely."

Sothis drifted down beside her, trying to offer what comfort she could. "Yesterday was a very hectic day. And this morning wasn't much better. So it slipped your mind. You didn't miss it."

Those words didn't help though as the blue haired woman lowered her head. "I didn't even know her, but I feel so awful for forgetting her."

"In a way, you almost did know her," the goddess remarked. "Think of all the times your dad has talked about her, told you stories about your mother. About how you remind him of her. You may not have met her personally, but you still know her."

"Great," Byleth snarked. "Now I know why I feel like crap for forgetting what was happening."

An exasperated sigh left Sothis. "That's not the point I was trying to make! You didn't forget your mother. You forgot some arbitrary time that was told to you and happening within two days that were filled with revelations and surprises. Don't think you're some monster because you forgot something. I can list so many better reasons to think that."

The sarcastic comment did what Sothis hoped it would as a muffled, if slightly hollow, laugh came from Byleth as she lifted her head. "Oh? List three then."

"Well," Sothis drawled, her voice laced with a teasing tone, "you are in a romantic relationship with a student. That's supposedly not good. Then there's the fact that I've seen what you're willing to eat. A bit of crusty bread found in the bottom of your pack is pretty terrible. Oh! There's also the fact you thought that flipping a book over was hiding it! That's downright abominable."

"Thank you," Byleth said with a smile. "You always know how to help."

A self-satisfied expression grew on Sothis' face. "Well, with me you're never truly alone. Except when you do… things. I don't want to see that. But we should get back to the book. Who knows what else we'll find." 

\--21st of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Rhea--

By now Sitri's funeral would have started, with Seteth overseeing it. The Eisners would almost certainly be curious about why Rhea was absent but she had told her brother to let them know that she simply felt it would be improper to intrude, given what she's done. That was the truth after all. Between Jeralt's strong words and the professor's stronger explosion of emotion Rhea had begun to question quite a few of her previous actions. She had done many things in the name of keeping what little family she had left safe that now looking back on them she wasn't sure if that was the only option.

Rhea had let her fear guide her for so long. Any potential threat had to be removed before it became an issue. If there was a chance that one of their secrets was going to be discovered, she had it buried even deeper. Nothing was allowed to exist without her approval. But she wasn't her mother, despite how much she tried to follow her example. Rhea didn't have her power, nor her knowledge. That was why she wanted so badly to bring her back. But even that had cost others so much. It had created monsters and taken the lives of innocent people. Even her attempt to create a vessel from scratch hadn't been without issues. Sitri had been the first one who was able to lead a somewhat normal life, the others before her either not managing to draw a single breath or being so weak they were unable to do more than lay in a bed.

Before the archbishop could continue to ponder her failures, a yelp and a crash came from the hallway. Immediately she was on her feet, throwing the door open and ready to jump into action only to see Flayn on the floor, a smattering of quills and parchment around her.

As Rhea stood there, confused by the scene before her, Flayn noticed that she wasn't alone. "Oh, hello Auntie! I didn't think you would be here…"

"Are you alright?" the stunned woman asked as she knelt down to offer Flayn a hand.

Taking the offered help the mint haired girl stood up. "I'm fine. I merely forgot I closed my door completely before going to gather my supplies for tomorrow. I don't want to be lacking for my first class!"

Flayn's excitement was both heartwarming and a reminder of why Rhea had done so much to keep her family safe. She remembered how devastating it had been when Seteth came to her asking for help, Flayn in his arms and on death's doorstep. How once his daughter was out of immediate danger he told her what had happened. How a group of Agarthan had burned their town to the ground just to get at Flayn. How he found his wife's body on top of her, her last act to shield her child. He decided that it was the best option to take Flayn and go into hiding while she slept, possibly longer. With how badly she had been injured it would be years, maybe even decades or even longer, before she woke up.

"Auntie?" Flayn called out as she squeezed Rhea's hand, snapping her out of the memory.

Rhea gently tightened her grasp, letting Flayn know that she heard her. "What are you most excited about? In regards to learning I mean."

Flayn’s eyes immediately lit up at the question. “I’m looking forward to learning how to fight!”

“As someone with far too much experience in that regard, fighting is not something you should be excited about,” Rhea replied almost mournfully.

The archbishop's answer didn't seem to be what her niece wanted to hear though as telltale signs of disappointment spread over her face. "I just… I don't want to have to spend my life worrying about who is going to get hurt to protect me. I know father thinks that it's dangerous for me, but there will always be danger. I just don't want anyone else getting hurt."

Immediately Rhea's heart felt heavy. Of course Flayn didn't want to see anyone else in pain. She had been born and grown up during the war against the Agarthans, only to lose her mother and wake up in a whole different world that she wasn't allowed to see. But that left Rhea wondering just how many children like Flayn had her actions created. How many parents had died on her orders? She had wanted to protect what little family she had remaining, but how many had she destroyed to hold onto that tenuous security?

"I'm sorry for discouraging you, Flayn," Rhea finally remarked. "I'm sure you'll quickly learn how to keep yourself safe. I'll let you get back to your preparations."

With that she withdrew her hand and turned back into her room, a heavy sense of loathing settling over her.

\--22st of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Flayn--

The first day in the Black Eagles class was both exciting and confusing to Flayn. She was finally getting her wish of attending classes, but she was somewhat lost by the content of the lesson that Professor Eisner was presenting. The other students had been very welcoming at least, taking time to make sure that she wasn’t feeling out of place. Dorothea and Petra had spent lunch with her, alleviating some of her worries about her confusion with the material being taught by letting her know that they had been in a similar situation when they first joined.By the time class was nearing its end though, Flayn found herself wanting to learn more despite her confusion. It seemed the professor had other plans though.

""This seems like a good stopping point," the blue haired woman remarked from behind her desk, "so I'm going to let class out early. This week is going to be light on practical work, so be sure to get in some training on your own time.”

With those instructions everyone began to pack up before the professor spoke again. “Flayn, can you stay for a bit after class?”

“Of course, professor!” exclaimed Flayn, setting her supplies down and making her way to the front of the class while the others made their way out of the room, their chatter slowly fading.

“I know that you have experience with healing magic,” the blue haired woman remarked as the door closed. “I want to know if you have any other areas that you have experience with or want to learn about that are taught here at the academy. Or other things for that matter. I don’t exactly stick to provided lesson plans.”

Flayn thought about that for a second. “My brother has taught me a little bit about using a spear and how to ride a wyvern. I’m interested in learning how to use reason magic though! I’ve always wanted to, but my brother has not let me…”

The professor nodded at that, making some notes on a piece of parchment. “Well normally I’d test out where you’re at proficiency wise, but I can’t currently or Manuela will have my head. I’ll have to arrange to get some help from the other students, but I think I know who to enlist. That’s all the teaching related things I have for you right now.”

With that Flayn turned around as Professor Eisner reached into her bag. “There’s something else though.” When she turned back there was an old book in the professor’s hands and she was opening it to a bookmarked page. “I found this, and wanted to ask why she looks so much like you?”

Even though it had been centuries since she saw the woman in the drawing, long enough for Flayn’s recollection to get muddled, she instantly knew who it was. On the page, smiling back at her, was her mother. With trembling fingers the mint haired student reached out, tentatively touching the page as if it would disappear or crumble into nothing. “Wh-where did you find this?” she finally managed to get out, her voice as shaky as her hand.

“I found it in Abyss,” the professor replied, the words barely registering as Flayn drank in every detail of the picture, doing everything she could to commit it to memory. To burn it into her mind’s eye. “Something the archbishop said made me look for answers, along with questions about what I am.”

“What?” muttered Flayn, finally starting to come back to the conversation in full. “What do you mean?”

Now that she was paying attention to the professor again, Flayn could see that she looked worried. “She said that my mother was a failed attempt to bring back the Goddess. But she also said she did it because she wanted her mother back. I know that people like myself and her, people with green blood, can live for a long time, but does what she said mean that she’s one of the original children of the Goddess?”

If she hadn’t been giving her full attention to the blue haired woman in front of her before, Flayn was now. Instantly her mind went to all the things her father had said about keeping their identities secret. Of all the people who would try to use them. She wondered if that was what was happening here? Was this some carefully laid trap? But that didn’t make sense either. The professor had rescued her. Had nearly died in the process. And she was one of them. This couldn’t be some attempt at extortion. Plus she was being open about herself. About the fact that she wanted to know more in regards to herself.

While she had been thinking the two had been sitting in an awkward silence, the professor seemingly waiting for a response of some kind. As her student’s mind finally finished racing that silence was broken, the former mercenary getting some form of answer, even if it wasn’t what she expected. “Professor, can you come with me? I think this is something that I should tell you by myself…”

That was obviously not the answer that Professor Eisner had been expecting, but nonetheless she nodded. “Alright. Where are we going?”

Flayn swallowed nervously before replying, trying to put on her bravest face. “To see my father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... This has been a bit delayed. I swear, I'm working on my fics... but life is crazy. And then I also spent weeks struggling with the last part only to realize it would be way better from Flayn's perspective. But hey, at least it's an update. I hope it's one you enjoy too! I'm excited for next chapter. I wonder what I'll put in it. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and continue enjoying this fic, I know I am.
> 
> PS: I'm still working on Cleats and Coffeeshops. It's just slow going... sorry.


	47. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first week with Byleth back teaching the Black Eagles turns out to be far more tumultuous than expected for the house.

\--22nd of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

As Byleth followed Flayn through the monastery Sothis began floating alongside her. “Well, this is definitely a development. I wonder who Seteth and Flayn’s father is? The fact that we are headed deeper into the monastery suggests that it’s someone who lives here. Perhaps we know them?”

Byleth gave a shrug as reply while slowly making her way up the stairs, meeting Flayn at the top where she was waiting for her. As they made their way towards the offices the blue haired woman’s interest grew. All the people she could think of that would be in this direction were people she knew, and none of them came to mind as the girl’s father. The thought that perhaps Flayn was leading her to Seteth who would then lead them to their father crossed Byleth’s mind, and as the two stopped at the door to the bishop’s office, it seemed like that was true. Without knocking Flayn opened the door, ushering the professor inside to the surprise of both her and Seteth, who was filling out paperwork at his desk.

“Well, hello,” the bishop uttered. “Is something the matter?”

Shutting the door Flayn turned to her brother, taking a deep breath. “Father, we need to tell Professor Eisner the truth.”

Byleth, Sothis, and Seteth all gawked at that, immediately followed by boisterous questions.

“Seteth’s your father?” Byleth and Sothis both asked, only one of them being heard.

Meanwhile Seteth was much more direct. “Flayn, what is the meaning of this?!”

Flayn pulled the book from the professor’s grip and slammed it down on the desk, rapidly flipping through the pages. “It isn’t fair to keep the truth from Professor Eisner, and sooner or later she’s going to find out the truth with or without our help.” Finding what she was searching for in the pages the green haired girl turned the book around and pushed it towards Seteth. “She’s already found a picture of mother.”

Whatever reply Seteth had been readying died in his throat at the sight before him. He simply stared at the page for a few seconds before raising his head and focusing his stern gaze on Byleth. “Where did you get this book?”

During the months that Byleth had known the bishop, his eyes had held many emotions, from the pleading fear when he begged for help rescuing Flayn to the stern disappointment that some of the students had earned during her time here. What his eyes held now though was the same furious look her father’s eyes held when people made the mistake of threatening her when she was younger. That made the professor think that if she could show him that she didn’t mean any harm to either of them, he might be willing to have an actual discussion.

“It was in Abyss,” Byleth began, deciding to leave her students out of the explanation.. “During the search for Flayn I found a library. Inside were books on subjects I hadn’t found in the library and I looked for information about what I am. That’s what led me to that book. Then the archbishop mentioned something that got me thinking that I might find more about her in that book too.”

Something that Byleth said must have gotten their attention as both Flayn and Seteth were looking at her with confused looks. Finally Seteth broke the tense silence. “What did Lady Rhea say that made you think this book was relevant?”

The blue haired woman considered how to phrase her explanation for several seconds, not wanting to sound crazy. “She told me that my mother was an attempt to bring back the goddess, but then later said she did it because she wanted her mother back. I know that people with green blood like me and her can live incredibly long times, so that got me wondering if she was alive when the Goddess was still around.”

Flayn and Seteth both stared at the professor, making Byleth think that perhaps they did think she was crazy. As that fear began to stew, Seteth sat back down and put his hand over his eyes. “It would seem that answers are due to everyone here. I will ask something else of you first though, professor. We know of your green blood, but is there anything else in here that was relevant to you?”

“That feels like a leading question,” Sothis remarked as she floated alongside Byleth, “but we’ve already come this far. You may as well tell them what else we found.”

“There is,” Byleth answered, reaching for the book. Turning it around she began flipping through the pages until she found the diagram of the large form similar to her transformation that Linhardt had shown her. “I can turn into something similar to this. I thought I was the only one until I saw this.”

As she gave this answer Flayn’s eyes lit up, surprising Byleth. “You are one of us! See father, we can trust the professor! She doesn’t want to hurt us!”

“You’re like me?” Byleth asked, stunned by this revelation.

“It would seem so,” Seteth replied. “Your green blood was already a clear indicator, as is what Rhea told me, but you are a Nabatean. Or to use the more common term, a ‘Child of the Goddess’.”

“It’s been centuries since I met another one of us!” exclaimed Flayn, grabbing Byleth’s hand. “And you can transform! Only Auntie Rhea can do that still!”

Both Byleth and Sothis were stunned by that revelation, but Seteth seemed to just get flustered, his chair sliding backwards as he shot up. “Flayn! You can’t just tell people that! Even if they’re safe, it’s not your secret to reveal!”

The girl immediately shrunk in on herself, clutching closer to Byleth. “I’m sorry, father.”

Before any more could be said between the two Byleth interrupted, asking the question that both she and Sothis wanted answered. “The archbishop can transform like me? Why didn’t she tell me? She’s the one who told me about my mother and what our blood meant.”

“You have to understand,” Seteth replied, his expression dour, “we’ve been hiding ourselves for centuries. Even this conversation is a rarity beyond rarities. Sharing the truth about ourselves is not something that comes naturally to us anymore.”

“That makes sense,” Sothis remarked from her place next to the blue haired woman. “Think about what we remembered. The destruction and slaughter at Zanado.” The floating goddess shuddered as she recalled the experience. “It’s reasonable to think that they’re afraid of history repeating itself.”

That explanation made Byleth painfully aware of her own secrecy. Of her omissions in what she has told the Archbishop, and of the extents she and her father had gone to to maintain the secret of what she is. “Please, tell me everything you’re willing to about what we are.”

\--25th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Edelgard--   
  
Ever since the Black Eagles had gotten two new students, Edelgard had been trying to keep ‘Monica’ from causing any trouble. Unfortunately her success in that regard had meant that she had been isolated from everyone else, which is why she currently found herself in the library, reading introductory texts to reason magic while the imposter posing as a student sat next to her. The only satisfaction the house leader was receiving from the arrangement was that Monica at least seemed to be incredibly bored judging by how she was currently groaning with her head resting on the table.

“Why do you have to be so unbearably dull?” Monica asked, her voice muffled by the table.

“Such is the life of a student,” remarked Edelgard, taking satisfaction in the small amount of suffering she could inflict on the spy. “It isn’t all excitement and whatever your master seems to think I do.”

That seemed to get Monica’s attention, her head snapping up from the wooden surface. “It’s not so much what you’re doing as what you’re not doing, Edel. Like telling us about your professor.” With that the imposter leaned closer to Edelgard, violating what little personal space she had. “And that we’re not the only one experimenting with crests.”

Edelgard’s blood went cold at that remark. Byleth had told her of what she suspected Rhea had done, but the fact that those who slither knew of it meant that they had people who could get close enough to inspect the professor. Was it Monica, or was there someone else at the academy? But even then when would they have done it? Perhaps when she was in the infirmary after rescuing Flayn? That didn’t matter in the moment however as they young woman regained her composure. “You mean to tell me that there are other monsters who would stoop to that level aside from you?”

“Oh, Edel. Dear Edel,” the redheaded student snarked. “You can’t keep secrets like that from us. Especially when your weakness for your dear professor is so obvious that even Thales could notice it. Of course, you’re weak for more than just the mercenary. It’s quite the little group of targets.”

If Monica’s previous remark had made Edelgard’s blood run cold, this one both froze it and made it boil simultaneously. Without thinking she dragged the spy out of her chair and over to the corner of the empty library, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to a bookcase. “If you or any other filth try to harm so much as a hair on any of their heads, I’ll personally ensure that your deaths are as drawn out and painful as possible.”

Even through a pained grimace Monica’s face twisted into a sinister smirk. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that so long as you keep on being an obedient little girl. It would be a shame for more people to die because you can’t listen to what we tell you to do.”

As soon as those words left Monica’s lips a quiet crunching sound was heard, followed by a pained yeowl from the imposter. Stepping back and letting Monica fall, Edelgard looked around before putting on a mask of concern. “I told you that the shelf was too high. Let’s take you to Professor Casagranda and get you checked over.” Leaning down and lifting up the other woman, Edelgard dropped her voice to a whisper as they started moving. “If you think you can threaten those I care about and get away with it, you’re sorely mistaken. Next time it will be more than just your wrist.”

\--28th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Ferdinand--

Of all the training partners he could have been assigned, Ferdinand had ended up paired with Dorothea for their extra-curricular training. Not that he thought poorly of the songstress turned mage. She was incredibly skilled with both black and white magic, as well as more than capable at negotiation and diplomacy even with her commoner status. What made things difficult was that while she was friendly with everyone else in the Black Eagles as well as most other students, she treated Ferdinand as if he had struck her.

Now as they trained together the brunette seemed to be more than content to let whatever anger she had towards him fuel her as she came at him with a training sword. It didn’t help that in the heavy armor he was wearing it felt as if he was plodding around in the mud, so avoiding the strikes was a strenuous task. As a particularly vicious blow landed and knocked him off his feet he felt his own anger rise. “Why is it that you seem to despise me?! Did I do something that has earned me this ire, or do you just like to badger me because I’m normally too polite to retaliate?”

Dorothea stared at him for a second, startled by his outburst, before her expression changed into one of exasperated anger. “Gee, I wonder what you could have possibly done! Or have you been too busy buzzing around like a bee to remember?”

“A bee?” Ferdinand asked as he stood up. “And how could I have done something wrong when you’ve seemingly hated me since the first time we met? Our first encounter had you sneering at me before I even introduced myself!”

“That wasn’t the first time we met, you git!” exclaimed Dorothea, her emotion pouring out through her words. “You really don’t remember, do you. You saw a street orphan bathing in a fountain and, like any good noble, you ran off to call the guard on the urchin once you stopped gawking.”

With that explanation a memory surfaced of a day back in the Adrestrian capital. He had been out with his father and had wandered away, finding a relatively quiet courtyard off the main street. As he had explored he saw a naked form that was using the fountain to wash themselves. His father would have immediately begun a tirade about how vulgar the sight was, but all Ferdinand could think of was the way the sight before him was affecting him. Before he could truly think about it, he noticed the boy in the fountain was staring back at him, covering himself with discarded clothing. Without thinking Ferdinand turned and bolted, his chest tight.

“I remember,” muttered Ferdinand, his expression bearing hints of embarrassment. “I didn’t run off to call the guards. I ran off because I was scared.”

“Of a naked teenager?” questioned Dorothea in disbelief.

“No.” Ferdinand did his best to look the songstress in the eyes as he answered. “Of what the male form made me feel.”

Now Dorothea’s face bore signs of shock. “Oh,” was all she could answer. 

“It was as if my heart was clenched in someone’s grasp,” explained the noble. “I said before that I prefer men, and that is the truth. But that sight was the catalyst that began my realization. I was scared of my sexuality.”

Before anything else could be said between the two, the sound of someone clearing their throat startled the pair. Turning towards the sound revealed Professor Eisner standing next to Flayn. “Is now a bad time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That's an awkward ending. But hey, progress on all fronts for getting answers. Plus we get to see Edelgard get protective. I would say poor Monica, but well, we all know she deserves it.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I've finally started getting out of the slump I was in! Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments!


	48. Suffering for Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flayn starts her training with the professor and the other students after stumbling into a private conversation but something comes up and makes Byleth depart early.

\--28th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Flayn--

The conversation that Professor Eisner had brought Flayn into seemed to be very emotional, but more than that incredibly private. They seemed to be talking about sexuality from what she had overheard, which from everything she had experienced tended to be a very hushed topic. To be fair to them though the training grounds had been empty until a minute ago. Now however, there was a very awkward tension between them. 

“Flayn?” the professor called out, shocking the student and eliciting a yelp from her.

“What?” she flailed. “Sorry, I was a little distracted…”

Dorothea seemed a bit aloof after being interrupted while Ferdinand had an embarrassed look on his face. Before Flayn could read any more into their expressions however the blue haired woman beside her stepped up to break the silence. “These two are going to be helping evaluate your practical skills. I think we’ll start with Dorothea and see how your magery skills compare. Less likely to exhaust you than the lancework, and I’d rather have you tired when using a training weapon than when casting.”

Flayn vigorously nodded, stepping up to stand beside the brunette. “What should we focus on first, professor?”

“For now just show Dorothea the spells that you know,” the teacher replied. “I’m going to help Ferdinand out of this armor.”

As the other two walked away Dorothea set down her training sword and headed over to one of the target dummies. “Why don’t we have a little chat while you show what you can do? I assume you heard some of that conversation that Ferdinand and I were having, but I hope you can understand that despite the more… boisterous parts of the talk, it was meant to be private.”

“Oh!” Flayn chirped, starting to understand why the songstress had seemed stiff. “Of course! My lips are sealed.”

“Uh huh…” drawled the brunette, disbelief clear in her voice. “Just like your lips were sealed with our dear house leader’s midnight escapade?”

The mint haired girl shrunk a bit at that remark, remembering how she and Dorothea had traded information. “But this is different. That was something anyone could have seen. This was private.”

That answer didn't seem to satisfy her completely, but at least it placated Dorothea a bit. "Well regardless we should get to work. Do you know any offensive spells?"

"No…" replied Flayn. "Father has been very adamant against me learning any. I do know several healing spells though! As well as a bit of teleportation magic."

"So you are skilled but just haven't had the chance," the brunette summarized. "Then let's start out with a basic white magic attack. You know how when you're healing you push energy into the injury and direct it to mend the wound? Well, Nosferatu is like that, but instead of directing it to heal someone, you instead mingle your energy with theirs and then pull it back towards you."

The shorter student gawked at that description, her face twisted in a mix of fear and disgust. "That sounds horrendous!"

"I can see why you might think so," the songstress remarked. " But it's one of the gentler attack spells. If done correctly, you can use their energy to heal yourself, and since you aren't physically hurting them a skilled mage can knock the enemy out without killing them, unlike with black magic. Here, try it on me."

"Wait, so quickly?" stammered Flayn, shocked at the progression. "But I could seriously hurt you! Or worse!"

Dorothea didn't seem to be worried however, simply standing there and waiting. "If you're worries then just don't put as much power into it. I'm not going to be dropped with a single spell though. Knowing how to cast spells and how to defend against them go hand in hand. And after all, this isn't a spell that can really be practiced on dummies."

"I suppose…" the mint haired girl muttered. "I guess if this is the only way."

With that Flayn went through the motions of gathering magic for a spell before directing it at Dorothea. As soon as it connected however she did as the woman had explained, trying to intermingle the energies. To her surprise this was far harder than expected, almost certainly owing to the other mage's experience. With what little progress she was able to make she moved on to the second step of the spell, trying to draw back the now mixed power. It felt like it was straining, getting more and more difficult until finally it gave way and suddenly she was hit with some of Dorothea's own energy, though it rapidly faded into nothing.

"Good job!" The songstress exclaimed, bringing Flayn back to reality. "It isn't as easy or as terrible as it seemed though, is it?"

"It isn't!" Flayn answered. "But are you sure you're alright?"

The worry directed at her caused Dorothea to laugh, causing the professor and Ferdinand to look over at the two women. "I'm fine! Like I said I know how to handle myself. But you did well! Better than I did my first time anyways."

  
  


The worry that had been filling Flayn's voice left with that compliment, quickly replaced with excitement. "Really?! Then, what else can you teach me? Can you show me some reason magic?"

"I can try," Dorothea agreed. "The first step is to decide on its form. I prefer lighting magic but it's far from the only type. The other common options are fire and wind, and each kind has their own advantages and drawbacks. Since you're relatively small and light, wind magic is probably a good fit. It doesn't hit as hard, but it's more accurate than any other form. Why don't you give it a go? Start by focusing the magic into a kind of blade, and then launch it at the dummy over there."

With a nod Flayn did as she was told, immediately finding that shaping the magic the way she was made it want to slip away from her. Despite this she got to the point where it felt like it was ready and she let it loose only to see it slam into the wall beside the target, kicking up dust and pebbles as it hit.

With this failure the healer expected some kind of harsh words or criticism telling her that her failure was inevitable but instead Dorothea's voice rang out with excitement. "Good job! It had some kick behind it and made it all the way!"

"But, I missed," Flayn stated, shocked by the praise.

"So?" the brunette asked. "You wouldn't expect a bullseye the first time you used a bow, would you? Besides, even I still miss occasionally and I've been doing this for a while. Try some more and see if you can get a feel for how it flies"

After another few minutes of practice Professor Eisner came over to the pair. “I see you’ve started with black magic. How does it feel so far, Flayn?”

It took a second for the mint haired student to reply, catching her breath after sustained casting. “I’m still having trouble hitting the target, but Dorothea says I’m doing well besides that.”

“That’s good!” the professor remarked, a bit of pride slipping into her voice. “Ferdinand should be ready in a minute or two, so whenever you want to switch over to lance work just let him know. Unfortunately I need to talk with Dorothea and then head out. I have to meet with someone, but these two will take care of you.”

\--28th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Byleth--

After pulling Dorothea aside, Byleth confirmed what she learned from Ferdinand, which was that they were doing additional training to shore up their weaknesses, as was the rest of the class. Apparently it was Edelgard’s idea, spawned from the fact that she felt the students, including herself, were more of a risk than benefit on missions. That was a conversation that was going to have to happen at some point to correct that thinking, as well as potentially help them with their training depending on how adamant the students were. Right now however Byleth had to take care of one of her own failings that had sprung back to her mind when she saw the archbishop heading into the reception hall when talking to Ferdinand. Now as she made her way up the stairs Byleth hoped to set things right on her end. Even if she was angry at Rhea things wouldn't get better if the lies between them didn't stop.

"And just how much do you plan to tell her?"Sothis quipped as she floated along with the bluenette. "Are you going to tell her about your transformation? About what we remembered? Are you going to tell her about me?"

That last remark gave Byleth pause. She had been considering exactly that, but she knew that in the end it wasn't her decision to make. "Do you want me to tell her about you? If you are against it then I'll leave it out, but I think I should tell her. Clear out the shadow and cobwebs so to speak."

For once the goddess seemed speechless, taking her time to ponder the possibilities. "Telling her would definitely make her more likely to tell us everything, but at the same time it could make her think that you and I are one person and not two people. Plus there's the whole 'I don't really remember anything aside from my murder' situation. What if she demands answers we don't have?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," whispered Byleth in reply. "But it's your choice. Until you tell me to, I won't speak of it to her. I'm going to tell her the other things though."

With that Byleth left the stairwell, making her way to the audience chamber doors and finding them closed. Not willing to let this stop her the professor banged on them a few times, hoping that was more than loud enough to get the attention of anyone inside.

As they waited Sothis seemed to float anxiously, setting Byleth on edge. “Are you sure you want to do this?” the green haired spirit asked. “A lot of things that you’ve kept close to your chest have been revealed without your permission. And I know it’s getting to you. You can’t hide how people steering clear of you in the hallways and dining hall bothers you from me. It makes me furious, and they aren’t even aware of me!”

With the wait continuing and a response from beyond the door getting less likely every second Byleth leaned her head against it before quietly replying. “You’re right. It does get to me. I hate having to just let it happen. But just because it gnaws at me doesn’t make it right to keep them from Rhea and Flayn and Seteth. They deserve to know.”

“No one would blame you!” Sothis exclaimed, her agitation evident in the volume of her voice. “It’s not wrong to want to protect yourself!”

“I’d blame me!” Byleth yelled back, her head snapping to the goddess and earning a look of shock from her. “If I hide this then how can I say that what Rhea has done is wrong? She just wants to protect herself and her family, doesn’t she? Isn’t that what you’re telling me to do?!”

Sothis didn’t seem to have a response to that, floating there with her mouth agape and a dazed expression. Byleth didn’t seem content to wait for a reply either, immediately leaving her spot against the door as if to flee from the spirit. She headed to the stairs that led up another floor, knowing that the archbishop’s private quarters lay ahead. As she reached a hall at the landing she saw a door at the other end that drew her attention. Within several paces she had reached it and immediately started rapping her fist against it. After a second it opened, revealing Rhea.

“Hello, professor. Is there something I can help you with?”

Byleth didn’t hesitate in her response, starting almost before the archbishop had finished her question. “I need to tell you the truth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, at least we finally see just how her secrets coming out has been affecting Byleth. And hey, Flayn is making some progress, even if it's slow and tiring. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have the next one out pretty soon to not leave you all hanging for too long. Feel free to ask me question or pose your theories on what will happen in the comments. I love to see what y'all are thinking about while reading the fic.


	49. The Side Effects of Haste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth finally tells the archbishop about the depth of her connection to Sothis, but she isn't the only one who is told...

-28th of the Horsebow Moon, 1180, Rhea--

As the archbishop let Professor Eisner into her room, she couldn’t help but think of how this was one of the last things that she would have expected. Given that their last interaction ended with both Eisners making it clear what a terrible person she was, Rhea had expected to not talk with either of them for at least two months. But now a week later the blue haired woman had shown up saying that she had to tell her the truth? What did the professor know that had been withheld during their conversations?

“So…” began the archbishop, her uncertainty seeping out. “How can I help you?”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” the professor admitted, making the archbishop feel even more off kilter. “I talked with Flayn and Seteth, and I learned some things but I also realized that I can’t keep secrets from you if I want the truth as well.” 

Rhea stared, confused, at the woman in front of her as she took a deep breath before continuing. “I can transform. More than that outburst after dealing with Aelfric, I mean. Fully change like you can.”

The archbishop knew that the professor could at least partially change her form, but to learn that she could transform fully, into something akin to her mother’s true form, was shocking.This revelation posed an important question in regards to the depth of the professor’s connection to Sothis. “What… What does your transformation look like?”

The professor seemed to halt at that, hints of confusion on her face. “I don’t really know,” she admitted. “I haven’t ever really been able to get a good look at myself when I’m changed.”

That made sense to Rhea, considering that the blue haired woman was raised in a mercenary group. Travelling would prevent access to any mirrors big enough to be of any real use, and the constant presence of others would rule out lakes as an option. “Would you like to?”

Immediately Professor Eisner perked up at that. “Yes,” she replied hastily before clearing her throat. “But, there’s more I need to tell you. When I saw things at the Red Canyon, it wasn’t like a vision. It was a memory. I didn’t see those events from some outside perspective. I saw, or more like felt, them from Sothis’s perspective.”

As she said this the blue haired woman looked away, but from her expression it didn’t seem like she was ashamed or afraid. Instead it looked almost as if she was staring at something and failing to hide the act of doing so. Glancing in that direction revealed nothing to Rhea, only her desk that was empty aside from a few documents related to the church.

"Are you alright?" asked Rhea, curious about what had grasped the professor's attention.

The teacher simply nodded in response before directing the conversation back to the memory from the Red Canyon. "Like I said, I wasn't just watching from some outside perspective. And that isn't the only time something like that has crept in. When my father confronted you last time we spoke it was like I was going to be overwhelmed with grief, but it wasn't my grief. And with what I know now it's because you, one of the goddess's children, were suffering. Sothis was upset because you looked like you were hurting."

That wording caught the archbishop’s attention. The other woman was talking as though she had gotten Sothis’s opinion as simply as talking to her, but how could that be possible? Even if the professor had fully bonded with the Crest Stone, which seemed like what had happened, the idea of just being able to interact with her mother seemed impossible. But if it was happening…

“Professor, can you speak with the Goddess?” Rhea asked, cautious hope swelling within her.

Even without words the stream of expressions the professor’s face bore over the next few seconds gave the archbishop an answer. After a quick glimpse to the side again the blue haired woman let out a deep sigh. “I can. I’ve been able to see and talk with Sothis since I was a kid. Right before I changed for the first time.”

“I see,” replied the archbishop, struggling to maintain a stoic expression as she processed this new information. All she could think of was that her mother had returned, albeit in a different form than expected. “Does she remember anything of her previous time in the world? Aside from the massacre at Zanado?”

“Not that I know of,” the teacher answered, her voice soft and reserved. Her demeanor made sense as Rhea thought about it. She hadn’t offered the information about being able to interact with Sothis so much as she had been called out. And undoubtedly this was something that was arguably more secret than the ability to transform. Most people would consider someone who claimed to be able to hear the Goddess in their head to be insane so one would undoubtedly tell as few people as possible.

“If it is an issue of simply forgetting, then some familiar places might be able to aid in remembering like Zanado did,” Rhea suggested. “There are few places that were present during the Goddess’s time that still remain however. Even I have trouble thinking of more than two or three. And that includes Zanado. However, that is something to discuss after more research on my part and deliberation on yours. I will not force you to do anything.”

For probably the first time in months the professor actually looked glad at something Rhea had said. “Thank you. But you mentioned me being able to see what I look like when transformed?”

“I did,” she replied. “We’ll need to go to the Holy Mausoleum to do it though. It’s the only place big and secluded enough to change without being seen. I don’t know what you have planned for the rest of the day, but I have to finish paperwork this evening. Shall we plan for next Saturday after breakfast?”

“I’ll make sure I’m free then,” the professor answered. “I guess that’s all I came to say so… I’ll get going.”

Rhea nodded as the blue haired woman turned and left almost as quickly as she arrived before stepping back to sit down at her desk. Slowly she dropped her head into her hands, a relieved smile growing on her face as the idea of being able to talk to her mother again, even through a proxy, began to infuse her with a feeling of relief.

\--1st of the Wyvern Moon, 1180, Kronya--

Once again the Agarthan infiltrator found herself in the forest around Garreg Mach, waiting for Thales to meet with her. She had tried to convince him of the importance of what she had learned but he had been his usual dismissive self, thinking it couldn’t be as important as she had made it out to be.

She would prove him wrong though! She had overheard the secretive professor with the Crest of Flames yelling at something that wasn’t there, and upon following her up some stairs had been able to hear parts of the conversation between them. Sure she had almost been caught, but after hiding in an alcove she had been able to leave without being seen. Thales didn’t need to know about that little bit though. And the secrets she had heard! Apparently not only could the blue haired pain in their sides change like the rest of those filthy Nabateans, but she could also speak with the Fell Star. What was even better was that the wretched false goddess was unable to recall the past, so it would be even easier to get rid of her!

“What do you have for me?” the disdainful voice of Thales asked, startling the spy.

“Gah! Why do you do that every time? Anyways, I learned some new and interesting things!”

Thales’ eyebrows arched slightly but instead of making him look intrigued he simply looked disgruntled. “Well?”

Her throat suddenly dry, Kronya tried to swallow before elaborating. “That professor whose blood I got for you? I found her speaking to herself, but she was actually talking to someone who wasn’t there! As for who, well her connection to the Fell Star explains that. It turns out that she can talk to the false goddess! And she can transform like the other beasts! With this we can easily get revenge on her and her kin! Pay them back for driving us underground! Kill her and end her once and for all!”

“No,” the pale mage replied, halting Kronya’s thoughts in their tracks. As she looked at him with disbelief he decided to elaborate. “We’re going to do more than simply kill her. We’re going to take everything from her. For what she did we’ll pay back all that suffering tenfold. And once she’s broken, no, shattered! We’ll use her to destroy all those who get in our way.”

As Thales spoke his visage shifted into a twisted grin, almost startlingly malicious in its hate. “You shift your focus into learning more about the professor. She’s the one we’ll have to target. Learn her weaknesses and her fears. Find ways to drive a knife into her very soul. Meanwhile I’ll get the others started on how to break her once we have her in our grasp.”

“What about the emperor?” Kronya asked, thinking of how she was supposed to do her current task as well.

Thales didn’t look at the spy as he responded, instead staring into the distance with a sickeningly euphoric expression. “Ignore her. She’s obsessed with the professor that if we have her then she’ll do nothing against us. Now head back. If you’re caught out it will only draw attention to you.”

Without another word he was wrapped in a cloak of swirling darkness, gone when it dissipated and leaving Kronya alone among the trees once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! That's not good. I wonder what will happen! It's not like I know or anything... Also, sorry about the shorter chapter. I just wanted to get this one out! But hey, it's a relatively quick update at least! Let me know what you think might happen! I love hearing about your theories and questions.


End file.
